The Strength of the Wolf
by Jedi Honor Bound Ninja
Summary: Ch. 9: There is a saying in the Land of Fire; that the generation before always takes to heart. They always know when the time has come to pass down and pass on. *Note I Fixed the problem with Chapter 4 and 5 Being the same...sorry!
1. Prologue

**The Strength of the Wolf**

Megan Pendleton  
- a.k.a. Jedi Honor Bound Ninja –  
- a.k.a. Tellywrs –

**Story Summary:**AU-verse. There is always another way, another path; some are just too blind to see them. But if one decides to trust in fate and leaps into the unknown, they might be rewarded. Naruto, seemingly single-sighted and focused on only one goal, decides maybe his goal is just unattainable, as everyone has tried to tell him. In a bid to find himself Naruto sets out to find another path and another future…

**Author Notes:**I don't own any bit of this save for my characters…and even then it's not like I can do anything more than create my own little plots and enjoy the wonders of writing while I play in Masashi Kishimoto's world that he created. Also keep in mind this is AU. I came up with the idea before the release of chapter 382-383 so a lot of stuff has happened that probably won't be happening here…heck it's taking on a tiny bit of weird…but weird isn't always bad, hai? It's just a different point of view *wink* the title is part of a quote from Rudyard Kipling "For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack." Each chapter will have a little quote with them as well as any terminology I use that others may not be familiar with…I used an online translator so lord knows some of the terms and the meanings may be screwed up to no end…but for me…a couple of them just sound right so I chose to believe the site I had found and used 'em.

**Planned Chapter Outline:**

**Chapter 1:The Wolves at the Door****  
_Chapter Summary: _**It takes one to know one and for Naruto, there has only been one other individual to 'know' him. Even with his 'precious' people, he can feel the glares and remaining hatred of the village that still fears his inhabitant and still wonders why he was allowed to live. Deciding to grant the village their one wish, Naruto sets out into the unknown. And it is there he will finally understand the true strength of the Jinchuuriki.

**Chapter 2:Between Fox and Wolf  
_Chapter Summary:_**Four years have passed with Naruto in the Land of Grass, training and traveling with Rajan and Ryoki. The Container for the Demon Fox has grown and learned from the fabled Demon Wolves that are merely whispers and myths to the Shinobi of Kuso, and he has learned to trust in his own skill. With the three slowly inching their way towards adulthood, Naruto's training will take another turn he wasn't yet expecting. Is the fox now become a wolf, or will the wolf become a fox?

**Chapter 3:A 'Pack' of Three  
_Chapter Summary:_** Stability. It is what one craves most out of life. To know where one is needed and one is wanted and to know what the future holds. In time we all adapt routines and customs that makes are lives more stable and enjoyable. With age comes certain wisdom, and also certain confidence. Many of the Grass Country now knows of the mercenaries living in Grass' most notorious territory. They have begun to recognize the skill and the range of these three shinobi… And they call them the Wolf Pack.

**Chapter 4:The Fox's Den  
**_**Chapter Summary: **_Life among the Tree of Houkou has never been better for the Wolf Pack. It is no secret that wolves love pups and celebrate their coming and fiercely protect them as they grow and learn to become members of the pack. Naruto and Ryoki must learn to adjust to life in their new role…as parents…all the while preparing for the worst, should Akatsuki show up at their door.

**Chapter 5:Of Clans and Packs  
_Chapter Summary: _**Wolves and humans are not so different really. They both enjoy the companionship of their kin, they form tight bonds of family and friendship, and so if you look very closely, you will see the pack of humans and the traits of humanity among the fur. It is not too hard to blur the line between pack and clan...and yet the line seems so very clear cut to those who have never known the trappings of human life.

**Chapter 6: A Fox in the Hen House  
**_**Chapter Summary: **_Where once a Wolf stood proudly, now only the memory remains. Returning to Konoha was the easy part of their journey, adjusting to this new world may be the hardest. For Naruto it is losing his hard won freedom, for the rest of his 'clan' it is learning to be human. But as always, the Pack will find a way.

**Chapter 7:Rain-Slicked Pelts  
_Chapter Summary: _**A cleansing rain is sometimes best, washing away the dirt and debris built up over the years. A wolf holds little concern towards the rain droplets that runs off its back. But when it floods, damage is more severe and the pack must move to higher ground to find the safest footing.

**Chapter 8:The Fox's Leaf  
_Chapter Summary: _**At one time the Land of Fire burned with the fire of foxes and the Land of Grass marveled at the howl of wolves. Will the Clans of Demons so easily forgive the transgressions of those who sealed away their lords and will the humans so easily overcome their old fears? Great things could come from the rejoining...or a great war.

**Chapter 9: To Pass Down and On  
_Chapter Summary: _**There is a saying in the Land of Fire; that the generation before always takes to heart. They always know when the time has come to pass down and pass on. The time has come for those of the generation before to pass down the knowledge to the next that will leave them ready to face the future of their world. They can only hope that they prepared them properly and that they will all carry on the will of fire.


	2. The Wolves at the Door

**The Strength of the Wolf**

**Chapter 1: ** The Wolves at the Door**  
**

**Chapter Summary: ** It takes one to know one and for Naruto, there has only been one other individual to 'know' him. Even with his 'precious' people, he can feel the glares and remaining hatred of the village that still fears his inhabitant and still wonders why he was allowed to live. Deciding to grant the village their one wish, Naruto sets out into the unknown. And it is there he will finally understand the true strength of the Jinchuuriki.

"_If you live among wolves…you must act like a wolf" – Nikita Khrushchev_

What if all the hatred and the lies that made up your life finally found their bearings and weighed down upon you until the point of breaking? Would you snap? Would you give in and break; becoming a bitter shell of what once was? Or would you choose to save yourself, despite the probability of succeeding in the endeavor?

Uzumaki Naruto was facing that probability in the face as he stood watching Konoha from the safety of the forests surrounding the Village Hidden in the Leaves. No one wanted him there. Hardly anyone realized he was there unless he did something to garner the attention. After all the good he had done, all the proving he could muster, they all still saw one thing: the Demon Fox.

He'd saved the village from another just like him, only more crazed and driven to blood-lust. He had survived an A-Rank mission, even nearly taking out someone much more able than him, and yet the only one who had taken the right kind of notice had been Iruka.

He'd even gone with one of the Sannin, the legendary three, and convinced the Godaime to return to the village. They really owed him on that one; he highly doubted the village would have wanted a perv at the helm.

And yet he was still 'it'. He was still the Nine-Tailed Fox. He was still the dead last loser.

Beating Hyuuga Neji in the Chunin Exams hadn't been proof enough either. That had taken a lot out of him, but he had done it when everyone else expected him to fail. Didn't that count for anything? Didn't it show he was capable of doing what all the other shinobi were capable of? No, they probably spat on the ground and lamented about how the demon had tricked the Hyuuga prodigy and Neji had been robbed of his victory.

Naruto stiffened and looked to the sky. It was now shades of purple and pink as the sun began to dip below the horizon. To the east was the encroaching darkness and to the west was the setting sun. The gates would be closing soon and yet his feet remained firmly planted to the tree branch he was standing on.

He'd been standing there for a good hour at least, after he had finished venting his frustrations on the poor woods surrounding him. How many trees had he just killed thrusting Rasengan after Rasengan into them? Heck the Shadow Clones he had summoned seemed to also hold a hint of wariness as they all went after what was basically him.

The sun began to profile the village that hated him and Naruto closed his eyes to it. Konoha was all he had….

Right?

Do you break or do you try to save yourself?

Had it been this difficult for Sasuke to make this same decision or had the Uchiha Heir just not given a damn and he had easily shed his Leaf Nin status for the status of 'kept pet'. Naruto growled and thrust his raw fist into the trunk of the tree to his left. It was yet another screw up to tack onto his many. He'd be breaking a promise to Sakura, something he never did, could he really just drop everything?

Darkness was his friend and now that the sun had fallen he began to run… away from the village and towards the Valley of the End. From there he could go to many different countries, just none of the ones he really could find help in. Suna would be the first place they would look, not that he did not think Gaara would turn him away; he just did not want to start a war.

Or be found.

Waves also held some merit but was he really that good with boats and fish? Not to mention it would be hard to keep it a secret if the bridge's namesake was walking about. It was too close to Fire anyway.

What was worse? Living alone in the wild or living alone in a village full of people? This was an extremely risky bid, but he finally decided it was either this or breaking, and he could not bear the thought of what that might mean. If he was caught he'd be locked away or killed. If he broke, it might mean the fox would finally have the opening he needed to just overtake his body.

So he fled. Like a coward he fled and prayed he did not run into anyone from the Leaf as he went. As he did consequences and snags ran rampant through Naruto's mind. What if he accidently bumped into Jiraiya? He didn't have a clue as to where the Sannin had gone off to but he'd roundly kick his ass for sure. No more summoning toads. They would report back to the Toad Sage and his whole cover, whatever it was going to be, would be blown.

If he heard dogs could he out run them and Kakashi? What would Kakashi do to him if he was the one that found him?

"_Damn it." _He frowned as he looked down at his feet. He was probably leaving a scent trail large enough for any dog, Kakashi's or not, to follow.

"_Poor Iruka-sensei…"_

Naruto finally stopped and grasped tightly onto a tree that seemed suitable for spying. It was near a rushing river, that'd hide any sound he'd make. It had pretty dense foliage; no one could really see him from the ground. The only thing he could not do anything about was scent but he chose to ignore that fact.

He sat shakily to calm his racing mind and nerves. This did him no good if he did not figure something out. Naruto focused instead on the water, lazily allowing his mind to focus on the waves and the fish beneath.

Pulling out his frog full of money he frowned. Sure he had saved up for the essential supplies at first but what happened after that? He could not take missions. It'd be like holding up a neon sign over his head. What else could he do? Not like he was that good of a ninja anyway, the way everyone went on about it.

"_The water!" _his mind snapped to quick attention and he leapt down to the water's edge. He'd dunk himself in the water then camp a little further away from the other side of the banks. It would, in theory, dissipate his scent should trackers be after him already.

If they had even noticed he was gone that was…

The water was chilly but it had to be done so he dived right in and waded towards the other side. He swam along the banks till he saw a good escape, further downstream than he had started. Naruto slipped out of his jacket and let it float away in the river, along with his headband…wow he felt naked without the snugness around his forehead.

As he continued on his way, on the other side of the bank, he began to collect dry bits of wood. Once he found a suitable place he stopped and began to arrange his haul and started work on his fire.

He let the darkness envelop him even with the fire going. The dancing flames lulled him a bit but still his mind raced with all the things he hadn't thought about. If they found him he was dead. If he stayed he was dead. Akatsuki was a new threat that sprang to mind. Never once had he thought of the freaky Mist Swordsman or Sasuke's brother.

What a royal mess this was going to turn out being.

As he drifted off to sleep, Naruto prayed to whatever gods might be willing to listen to a demon container that no one found him.

* * *

After very little sleep, Naruto began to jog again. His feet instinctively seemed to know where to go as he made his way back to the Valley of the End. It took him most of the day but he finally arrived in the same place he and Sasuke had faced off in not a few weeks ago.

And he felt assaulted by the guilt and the memories of what had been said.

What had been done.

The way Sasuke blew him off, had been cold and distant, not how he wanted to remember his teammate, but it was the truth. All the time Naruto and Sakura thought they were making headway was just Sasuke keeping his true nature hidden.

Even though he had claimed he wanted to keep on as a fool, when Jiraiya had pleaded with him to not repeat the past, he saw now what the Sannin was trying to get him to see.

Sasuke only wanted one thing: Revenge. And until he got it, nothing else would register in his brain. He had to go out, find his revenge, and then see how empty it was. Then perhaps the Uchiha would return. Then again he'd be Orochimaru's fully by that point.

Naruto positioned himself a top the Second Hokage's statue, watching the water yet again. His thoughts had slowed from the previous day but the concern remained. He wasn't any better off than he was before. At least Sasuke had somewhere to go.

Perhaps that was what he could do! He could try to find Sasuke, follow him to where he went! Then he'd have a purpose as well as a place to go.

No…that was a dumb idea. Orochimaru would just as easily kill him or experiment on him the moment he found out Sasuke had been followed. Death by snake was not too appealing. So what else could he do?

He found himself headed for the waterfall, his mind again wandering away from what it should be focused on and more so on that day he and Sasuke fought. The scars were still in the rock around the waterfall, just not as apparent as they had been before. The steady flow of water had begun to smooth and erode the jagged edges of broken rock and sediment.

So why did it feel so fresh?

"Damn it! This isn't going to help me any." Naruto yelled and began to pace. If he went north, he was in Sound. If he went east and north he'd be in Lightning eventually. If he went west he'd be in Grass or Rock. Maybe if he took the long way around to the west and then went south, he'd find himself in Wind and no one would think to look for him coming from that direction. It'd take him long enough that any trackers sent to Suna would have come, searched, and gone.

Still to fall back on Suna, to force Gaara into such a decision…it seemed wrong of him.

Naruto began to scale the high cliff walls, away from the water and the rock. He had to find a good place to camp for the night and start another fire. Thankfully he'd at least learned the survival aspects of being a Ninja fairly well because there were some days he had ended up having to camp outside, too scared to return to apartment until daylight.

He began to follow the river from the opposite side and down from the waterfalls. The river slowed here to a steady passing of water, nothing hurried or grand about it. The stone statues were finally out of view when he finally came to stop and made his camp.

"I really am a loser." He muttered to himself as he watched the dancing flames, hugging his knees to his chest. The night air was a slight bit cooler than before and the first time since yesterday he missed his bright orange jacket.

* * *

A sharp jab in his thigh woke Naruto from the hazy dreams of torture and angry faces glaring down upon him. He did not really know when he had finally drifted off to sleep the following night but at least this time he had slept, if not quite a peaceful sleep. He groggily blinked at the dead fire in front of him and then turned his attention to his leg, still being prodded by what appeared to be a sheathed weapon of some sort.

"Greetings wayward traveler!"

Naruto's shot up quickly and found himself face to face with a young man, maybe about his age, with wild copper-toned hair. He wore a goofy grin and was proudly balancing the sword he had been poking Naruto with on his shoulder.

"Rough night pal?"

"You might say that." Naruto growled back as he backed a few inches from his visitor. He wasn't wearing a headband of any kind, hell he didn't even look like a ninja save for that weapon he kept bouncing up and down on his shoulder.

"Hai, you look a right mess now. Decided to camp out next to the water last night?"

"It was so inviting."

What was this guy getting at? Naruto was slowly moving to take a defensive stance, but didn't want to tip off the boy that he was trained as a ninja.

"Well I'm sure it was if you were looking to lose your scent trail." The boy winked at him knowingly and began poking around the ashes of Naruto's fire. "You get kicked out of somewhere?"

"Yes." Naruto lied and wondered if this was a bounty hunter of some type.

"You were right Ryo!" The boy yelled behind him and soon a young girl was leaping down from the treetops around them. She landed behind the intruder and smiled brightly. She had the same copper-toned hair only hers was intricately woven into a long braid down her back. She looked more like a ninja than the boy did. She wore a kunai pouch on her right leg and her clothing just seemed more apt for a fight than the loosely fitting apparel of the boy.

Naruto cautiously reached into his kunai pouch and wrapped his fingers around the smooth metal within. Who were these two? Why were they here and how had they found him?

"Raj, play nice." The girl said sweetly then turned her attention to Naruto. "Sorry about my twin, he liked to put people on edge sometimes. So you got run out huh?"

"Hai." Naruto nodded and stood still.

"Why'd they run you out? You can't be any older than us."

And so started the stalemate between them. Naruto did not want to reveal too much, knowing that money was a powerful motivator and if Akatsuki was looking for him, a pair like these two could easily report to the organization or to Konoha about having seen a boy matching the descriptions. Still the easy going posture of the male and the kind look in the female's eyes put him slightly at ease. They didn't look too threatening and if they were enemy nin why hadn't the boy just killed him in his sleep?

"Oops, asked the question that crossed the line." The boy, he had heard called Raj, was laughing and turning towards the river.

"Seems a rather innocent question, don't know why it would have set him off." The girl, Ryo, was saying to her brother, now behind her.

"It's because I'm a demon container." Naruto blurted out. He straightened and tightened at the same time. He hadn't meant to blurt it out, but seeing them talk to each other like he wasn't there, had triggered a response out of him. Was it some kind of Genjutsu they had used or did he just have a death wish?

"And…" the girl cocked her head to the side and watched him with mismatched eyes, one brown and the other pale blue, almost white, with an odd pupil.

"And what?" Naruto responded, not sure how to take her reaction.

"What's that gotta do with them kicking you out?" Raj laughed as he peered into the river. His hand snaked out at a quick speed and came up with a large fish in hand. He smirked back at his sister who shook her head at him and crept towards Naruto's fire. Her whole attention seemed to be on the dead embers of the fire and before long the flames came back to life.

Naruto blinked in confusion. The fire had died, how had she done that without even touching the burned out twigs and branches he had used to start the fire in the first place.

"They think I am the demon I contain."

"Pft, you are no demon." Raj said bluntly and tossed the fish, now limp in his grasp back to Ryo, who caught it and began to clean it with a kunai and a bit of water she had drawn from her backpack. The boy continued to watch the water and reached in two more times, each time coming out with a fish of a decent size that he would then give to the girl who cleaned and skewered them and began to roast them over the fire.

"You are nowhere near a demon." He continued as he came to sit next to the girl. "Bunch of backwater idiots…"

"Raj, be nice, most do not understand what we do." Ryo smiled up at Naruto, still standing at the ready ahead of them. "So what's your name?"

"Naruto."

"I'm Ryoki and this is my twin brother, Rajan. You can call me Ryo if you like." Her gaze went back to the fish, sizzling over the fire. She twirled them around slowly, letting each side get licked by the fire's flame.

"And stick to Raj." The boy added in, it was just as his sister had been calling him.

Naruto sat down slowly, keeping himself a few feet away from them, but also taking note that they had caught three fish, not two. "So you're okay with it?"

"Of course we are! We were raised and trained by Gobi no Houkou. So which one are you?" Ryo winked at him and Naruto found himself blushing.

"The Nine-Tailed Fox…"

"You're the Kyuubi?" Raj sputtered and leaned forward to inspect Naruto more closely. "Wow that's gotta be a blast! Infinite Chakra…fire jutsu that could incinerate whole forests..."

Naruto rubbed at his neck and found it a tad uncomfortable at the sudden awe Raj was showing. "Um…okay?"

Ryo reached over and slugged Raj hard in the shoulder and once more she smiled kindly upon him. "Don't mind Raj, he's a goof ball."

Silence fell between them all as the pair went about cooking their fish and Naruto went about studying them. It wasn't an uneasy silence though. Naruto could now see that the boy also had a weird eye, just like his sister, just on the opposite side of hers. He inwardly noted they possibly had an eye technique he'd never heard of before, but then again what did it do? Was that why he was slowly letting down his guard? Was it some unseen Genjutsu that did not require hand signs? Deep in his gut, however, familiarity tugged at him. Whatever it was these two seemed to have something about them that was familiar. Yet he'd never seen them before.

"What are you doing here?" he finally found the nerve to ask.

"We're digging up dirt on the Fire Country." Rajan replied. "People pay high dollar for that tasty little gossip."

Naruto couldn't help but look in the general direction of Konoha. They were spies and they were here to dig up dirt. Did he return to Konoha and warn them or did he stay with his plan and do nothing. Even if he did warn everyone, would they care or give him credit? No…they would bash him for behind away from Konoha when he shouldn't have been.

The smell of cooking fish forced his stomach to growl angrily at him for not feeding it last night. In response Ryoki smiled knowingly and took the first fish she had started cooking and leaned over with it offered to him. He looked up at her for a moment and she patiently waited before Naruto decided he had not seen them do anything other than catch and cook the meal. It was safe. So he took it and smiled nervously in return. "Thanks."

The twins took the other two fish and began to eat as well. "How about we cut you in on the deal?" Raj pointed behind him. "I bet it'd be nice to get a little revenge."

"Yes!" Ryo perked up at the idea, swallowing her bite of food before continuing. "You could join us. We know some good hunting grounds and we've got a good client list started and you certainly look like you know some good tricks."

"Really?" It seemed awfully rash on their part to welcome a stranger, even more so for him to join them. "I'd be a missing nin you know."

"Of course you could! Most ninja teams are three aren't they? Raj and I are only two. Might even the odds a little to our favor."

"Not to mention there aren't many shinobi that would step foot in where we live." Raj grinned wickedly as he bit into the fish. "We have some inborn security."

Again Naruto found himself glancing back towards Konoha. He hadn't really had a good plan up to this point and now it seemed one was presenting itself. Still it was another hard decision to make…betray the village entirely and gain new allies or refuse and be out on his own.

He looked down at what was left of his breakfast and back up at the twins in front of him. They seemed nice enough and more than willing to overlook his 'container' status. "So what do you want to know?"

Ryo tossed the remains of her fish away to the river and stood up, brushing off her leggings and stretching out her back. "Ah, none of that, we'll have plenty of time to discuss the juicy gossip on our way back to Grass. I think we should start out getting to know each other a little bit don't you?"

Naruto found himself grinning and nodding his head. "Hai, that sounds nice."

"Like for starters…why the hell are you wearing orange." Raj smirked as he picked up his gear and once more snuffed out the fire that had once cooked their breakfast.

Naruto looked at his pants and laughed. "Oh, I really like the color."

"Riiiiiighhht."

* * *

The trip to Grass Country didn't seem quite as long as Naruto had thought it would be. When he asked Ryo and Raj about their showing up in the Valley of the End they replied that they had just come from Sound, another of their targets on the trip they were currently on.

They used the Valley as a shortcut to Konoha but he had saved them a trip and a lot of staking out claims. Really they had shaved weeks off of their journey.

The two were ahead of him now, weaving their way in an out of the busy traffic around the Lord's Lands, moving purposefully towards the large home set above the rest of the estate. Naruto himself was nervous at the prospect but Ryo and Raj didn't seem the slightest bit daunted in their task.

"Business?" a large armored man asked as they approached the double doors of the home.

"Tell Lord Owashi that the Little Wolf has returned." Ryo said, straightening herself in front of the guard. She gained an air of importance that Naruto was sure she hadn't had before. The guard nodded and disappeared behind the doors to inform his lord of the visitors.

The twins, from their short trip together, seemed rather laid back and easy going. Raj, as Ryo had explained that first day, was a goofball and Naruto rather enjoyed their conversations. He and Raj were a lot alike in personality and in temperament. Ryo was much more subdued than Raj, but she had the same wit about her that made Naruto laugh. She was also very kind and took the time to explain things if she saw Naruto didn't quite follow their line of thinking.

The guards returned and propped open the door with one hand, making a quick motion with his head and the three entered. Ryo confidently lead the way, like she had for most of the trek through northern Fire Country.

They walked around the outside, passing several doors and pathways until a nervous looking woman stepped out and held her arm out in a gesture of direction and Ryo turned into the room she had been directed, Raj and Naruto close behind.

"Ah! Little Wolf! I was not expecting your return for several more weeks." An ornately dressed man, only just slightly overweight, addressed Ryoki from atop of his seat in the middle of the room.

Ryoki bowed formally and then took a seat upon the lone pillow set out in front of and below the lord. "Hai, Lord Owashi, we were able to get information easier than we expected. However, I think you will be pleased with the information we have obtained."

After agreeing to go with the pair, Naruto had told them all that he thought was important. There was the attack by Orochimaru, the diminished ranks, and of course the new Hokage. Most he figured would not be too much of a detriment to Konoha because rumors would already be floating about.

Rajan and Ryoki had then proceeded to fill him in on what they had seen in Sound. It had dismayed Naruto a little to hear that Sasuke had indeed gone to Orochimaru and as Rajan and Ryoki had seen it the Sound Leader was grooming an heir to his little empire. Naruto knew better, he knew what it was Orochimaru wanted out of Sasuke, but he had agreed and told them what he knew about Orochimaru from his own experience.

"So it is true then, Rice has a Hidden Village now." The lord took a large draw on a pipe he held and let out the smoke slowly.

"All of our digging says yes. It is led by a Missing Nin from the Konohagakure Ranks. I believe his name is Orochimaru."

"One of the Legendary Sannin…how unfortunate." The man frowned and reached over to a plate to his left full of foodstuffs and drink. "And another of those Sannin now leads the Hidden Leaf?"

"We saw a woman matching the description of the Slug Princess, yes." Ryoki lied…they had never set foot in Konoha, Naruto had only told them about Tsunade.

"Before long the Toad will have his own country and all of us in-between will have no hope for better representation." Lord Owashi frowned. "Still you say Konohagakure is in a recovery state?"

"Hai, Lord. The attack led by Sound left them a little worse for wear and with the induction of a new Hokage, the transition period is still in effect."

"These are trouble times." The Lord said and drowned a cup hungrily. Naruto wondered if all Lords were like this or just this one was. The inside of the room was decorated in gaudy green and gold trappings, several women sat about in lavish make-up and overstuffed kimonos and dresses. It confused him a little as to why a Lord of a small country such as Grass wanted to know the comings and goings of other countries but then again politics usually made his head hurt. "But you're information is a great help, you are defiantly worth the price of your reputation, Little Wolf."

"As agreed upon, we would like our payment so that we might return to our other duties. Unless, of course, you wish us to seek out some other treasure you've been wanting?"

The Lord waved behind him and some servants brought forth a couple of bags and laid them in front of Ryoki. One servant also handed a wallet to the Lord who began to count out the bills inside before handing a good sized chunk to Ryoki.

Rajan had moved forward at the time and was inspecting the bags. He brought out his hand, full of kunai, and he inspected the shiny metal for any impurities or note of wear. He finally smiled and replaced them and ruffled through the rest of the contents without pulling anything out.

"All here." He muttered to Ryoki and tossed a bag towards Naruto before shouldering the other.

"We appreciate your business, My Lord. Should you need us again you know where to contact us."

"Of course." The man began to finger the money again and then held out a little extra. Ryoki stopped and stared at him for a long time, as the Lord held out the proffered money to her. "Go on now, Little Wolf." He smiled and closed his eyes. "I have always paid my help well, and you more than deserve your worth."

Ryoki bowed deeply to the man and took the extra cash gratefully. "Thank you Lord. We shall meet again I am sure."

As they all stood they were escorted back the way they had come. Once free of their guard escorts Ryoki and Rajan led the way into the grasses that surrounded the Lord's estate. Ryoki smiled and handed back the extra money to Naruto who blinked in response.

"Go on. You're the one that saved us weeks of scouting on this trip. You will earn your keep I'm sure."

Naruto quietly took the money and counted it. He was surprised at the 'extra' the Lord had included. "So you guys are information gatherers?"

"We like to call ourselves border hoppers." Ryo said as they walked along, her hands gliding over the tall grasses now up to their hips. "We go where others normally cannot because we have no home nation. We were born on the trails, we run the trails."

"Take Lord Owashi there. He wants information because information is what keeps Grass in the game." Rajan said from behind Naruto and Ryo.

"And that information keeps him in the good graces of the Daimyo and the Hidden Village." Ryoki added in. "But to keep his edge, he cannot hire those from Kuso because they would report directly to their Kage, and not to the Lord. He needs to be able to pull this information without the others knowing."

"It's a politics game." Naruto frowned.

"Hai, hai, but it is one to our favor." Rajan smacked him on the shoulder as he came to walk with them. "New weapons, some supplies, and cold hard cash."

"We've been sent on recon, info gathering, item retrieval…" Ryo began to list their accomplishments. "Really almost any kind of mission any Hidden Village Ninja would be sent on."

"Only the pay's a lot better." Raj snorted. "Come on, let's get home."

Rajan and Ryoki began to pick up the pace. Naruto followed suit, making sure he had a good grip on the tote he had been given to carry. He noticed they were beginning to near a large forested area on the horizon. Naruto had been sure most of Grass was just that…Grass…because that's all they had passed through on the way to the Lord's Estate. But this forest looked lush and healthy. Something about it seemed unworldly to him and he kept his eyes on it long and hard as they approached.

When they hit the tree line, Raj and Ryo began to dart in and out of the trees. Faint smiles had turned into huge grins as they raced near the center area of the glen and what seemed to be to Naruto the largest tree he had ever seen.

"Welcome to the humble abode." Ryo grinned as they landed near the tree, surrounded by a small pocket of grass and no trees or shrubs. "This is the Great Tree of Houkou…though he doesn't live here anymore."

"Just us and the mutts now." Raj threw his bags towards the trunk of the tree and started running up the side, chakra sticking him expertly to the smooth, mottled bark. He got to a prominent high branch and threw his head back and did something that really confused Naruto.

He howled.

And it sounded so much like a real wolf's howl Naruto almost had thought it to have been a real wolf…only he had seen Raj throw his head back and go through the motions. Ryoki began to howl beside him, a lighter tone than Rajan's. Naruto had to wonder what it was exactly they were doing, and if he had made a horrible mistake.

"You guys live in a tree?" he asked after they finished their odd behavior, hoping to ignore the fact they had just howled like wild animals in his presence.

"Hai." Ryo nodded. "Don't be afraid, they will accept you." She patted him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"Who will?"

Just as he asked more howls broke the air. Naruto stiffened and began to look around him in the grass and trees. The grasses at the edge were moving, parting, with the movement of 'something' through their rows. Soon wolves were leaping and weaving through the brush and coming to the tree; howling, yipping, and running around them like they were celebrating their return.

They were all different shades of gray, black, and brown. Naruto even caught a glimpse of a white wolf, dancing in the throngs. Their eyes glowed eerily in the dappled daylight and some of them were huge; some as tall as himself, if not taller.

It struck him then that the very large ones, the ones that he thought could easily be taller than him, had more than one tail. Usually it was only two and the occasional three, but they had multiple tails.

They were demons.

"You live with demons." He whispered anxiously towards Ryo and she laughed as a few of the wolves lapped at her hands and tugged on her sky blue shirt.

"We were raised by the Five-Tailed Wolf, Houkou. This is his pack. We have taken up leadership of them because Houkou was captured by…"

"Akatsuki." Naruto found himself saying and shuddering at the same time.

"Yes, the black cloaks with red clouds adorning them." A new voice answered. Naruto turned and found a large grayish-white wolf sitting himself in front of him, eyeing him with watchful green eyes. "What have you brought home with you, Little Wolf?"

There was that nickname again.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto," Ryo shoved Naruto forward till he was nose to nose with the wolf. "a new member to add to our pack."

The wolf snorted. Naruto felt its hot breath on his face. He tried not to flinch; hard to do with a five foot wolf staring you in the face.

The wolf began to circle him, as did others in the pack around him. One tails, two tails, and a few of the threes, all were sniffing at him, licking him, and nosing him. Naruto looked up to Rajan, still in the tree, grinning like a mad man at his predicament. He highly suspected Raj was getting a good laugh out of his discomfort.

"You've brought us a fox. The Nine-Tails." The wolf growled and bared its teeth as he sat back down in front of Naruto. He also heard a lot of non-intelligible growls and words he didn't quite understand from around him. Naruto gulped as he stared at the yellow-stained canines that looked like they could clean bite his head off.

"Yes, a fox that has lost his den." Ryo nodded.

"Very well, Ryoki-sama." The wolf nodded finally and stalked towards the tree. "We shall house the Nine-Tailed Fox. We shall train the poor fox-kit as it seems those who raised him did not do so well."

"Train?" Naruto blurted out and the grayish-white smiled a toothy grin and chuckled deep in his throat.

"Yes, little fox-kit, train. You withered in front of me, you became like a pup that was in the presence of a predator, these are not good traits to have when hunting or preying. You lack confidence and strength."

"And we will train you how to use the chakra of the demon-fox." A female wolf came and sat next to Naruto, which made him start. She was a smaller three-tailed wolf that was coal black and had startling blue eyes. "You will have control over the Kyuubi."

"Are you serious?"

"Trust us, Naruto-san." Ryo moved to sit her own bags down at the base of the tree and she sat herself beside the grayish-white that had first approached Naruto. She slung her arm over his massive back and laid her head on his head as he lazed in a sunny spot at the base of the tree. "You'll like it much better here."

Naruto took in the number of wolves around him another time and shakily ran his hand through his hair. What the hell had he gotten himself into? Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

"Relax fox-kit." The coal black wolf nudged him gently with her nose. "None in this pack shall harm you. I will keep guard to make sure."

"Um…thanks…"

"Kuroi." The black chuckled and began to nudge him towards the tree using her body mass to push him. "Silly Pups did not warn him." She was muttering under her breath.

"Do you think he'd had believed us Kuroi?" Rajan piped up from above them. He was now lying back on the large branch he had first perched on. Naruto noted that some of the smaller wolves had even gotten up to the branch too and were lying on Rajan's lap. "Either that or he had fled miles by now."

"I would have liked a warning. I mean I obviously know there are demons, just didn't know there were so many."

Ryo reached over and touched his arm lightly. "I apologize. We should have warned you. And Kiro's really not that bad, he just has to be picky."

The gray/white snorted again and closed his eyes and wrapped himself around the girl. "Stupid human pups, always dragging home strays."

"What?!" Raj jumped down so fast it startled Naruto. "When have we brought home strays?"

"Well I guess I meant you are strays, and now you are bringing in another stray…" Kiro said lowly.

"And boy you got jumpy." Raj turned his attention away from the wolf and onto Naruto.

"There are like a couple dozen large predators running around me…what am I supposed to be?" Naruto found himself defending himself.

"Relaxed." Raj smirked playfully. "They ain't bit you yet have they?"

"No…but…"

"It is because, technically speaking, you are the larger predator here. You are the Nine-Tails."

"No I'm not…."

"Raj, leave him be." Ryo threw a small pebble and it hit Raj neatly in the head. "He has to get used to it. From what I heard, Fire wasn't too nice to the Fox Clans."

"Clans?!"

"Don't worry Naruto, we'll teach you." Ryo winked at him. "There are probably a lot of things you didn't know."

* * *

"Stand up."

The rough growl of Kiro registered in Naruto's brain and he found his footing again and stared at the green-eyed demon wolf before him. He wobbled a bit as he straightened, and he huffed in his own frustration at this new 'training' the wolves had enacted once he had stopped being so tense and jumpy around them.

It had taken weeks of reassurance from Ryo and Raj and even more sleepless nights before he finally realized this was a very good set up Ryo and Raj had. The wolves themselves were just like the twins, laid back and accepting. Most of them kept a wide berth of him, as they could sense his apprehension and his 'resident'. The pups, the smaller wolves, had really been the only reason he had gotten somewhat used to their presence.

Right now he was training with Kiro, the actual alpha of the pack of demon wolves. Three tails flailed behind Kiro and his teeth shone in the bright moonlight overhead. The grayish-white wolf snarled in response and bared his teeth. "You fight with fang and claw. Then you will find use of your chakra. But first you must learn fang and claw."

Naruto took up his kunai again and readied himself for the wolf's coming lunge. It was different fighting against a wolf, even one as tall as himself, because he was always afraid of hitting his head. Not only that but the wolf's body mass was off-center…it wasn't like a human at all.

Once again Kiro came at him, leaping and hopping from rock to rock in the flat plains area that Ryo and Raj trained in. The gray/white was fast and it took him some time to register his movements but once he did he began to dodge and mirror Kiro.

"Ahhhh!" Kiro snarled, with his version of a lupine smile. "Now we see the true nature of you! The fox within you! Dodge and parry, trick and confuse."

Naruto grinned as he landed on a rock and stuck himself there with his chakra. Whenever Kiro began to talk like he was, it meant he approved of what Naruto was trying to use against him. His grin widened as he began to try to go AT the wolf instead of the wolf coming to him.

Still the end result was the same, Kiro's large white paw rested on his chest and his fangs were closed carefully around his neck and shoulder. Naruto snarled, only noticing too late that he had done so, menacingly at the wolf above him.

Kiro let him up and snuffed hard in the dirt. "Now you are beginning to act like a wolf." He approved and walked around Naruto to use his muzzle to push him up to a sitting position. "Now quit fearing my head and attack me. Raj and Ryo are not afraid to scar this old wolf, but you are."

"I have no reason to hurt you when we are only training." Naruto frowned. "It doesn't seem right."

"Humans…" Kiro sighed and hung his head.

Without warning his head lashed back up with a speed Naruto had yet to see him use and he yelped as fang tore into the flesh of his left shoulder. Naruto reached up and began to pound on the wolf's snout, but Kiro only growled more harshly and shook him a bit.

Naruto struggled more to get free, feeling the fangs go deeper as he did. He finally gripped his kunai and stabbed it into the wolf's front flank. Kiro did yelp and let go of him. He limped a little bit away from Naruto and sat down.

Naruto panted as he reached up and grabbed his now bleeding shoulder, glaring daggers at the wolf. "What the hell???"

"Now we are past hurting one another." Kiro remarked. "You do not learn if you never experience. Human teachers are too light on their pups. They only show them how to fight; they do not make them actually fight. Do you remember your first real prey?"

Naruto frowned and nodded in affirmative that yes he did remember his first real mission and the Mist Demon they encountered. He may not have been a real demon but he was damn close.

"And did the prey play nice like your sparring partners or did they go for blood?"

Naruto hung his head and shook it back and forth. He realized what Kiro was getting at. The Academy only showed him, it never made him actually use it. And when he did experience it, it had come to a shock and he had stood still as a statue while others around him fought.

"They never taught you to kill, fox-kit. They only taught you how to survive. Now you have to learn the difference." Kiro stood up and stalked off, a few of the lesser tails coming up to nose at his flank where Naruto had stabbed him. He only snarled and snapped at them, making them all hit their bellies and roll over into submission.

Even though Raj and Ryo claimed ownership of the pack of demon wolves, it was Kiro that was alpha wolf. Raj and Ryo, no matter what their upbringing, were human and they required things like clothing, weapons, and food even though most of the time they ate deer like the wolves did, only cooked. Because of all of this, Raj and Ryo would take jobs, like they did for the Grass Lord, to earn money and supplies.

They did so in spurts, and always returned to the Great Tree and to the pack that Houkou had bequeathed them.

Naruto removed his jacket to look at the tear and the blood staining the black coat Raj had given him. Raj was slightly taller than him so it was oversized anyway, and the blood scent would probably give him away to any others that roamed the forests. He tossed it aside, defeated, and looked at the puncture holes in his shoulder. They oozed blood and hurt like hell, but he knew the wolf could have easily done much more damage to him.

"Ah, you got the lesson in striking today, eh Sonkei?"

Naruto glanced above him, in the solitary tree out in the fields and found Raj lazing about, as he always did, in the branches. The boy twin had taken to calling him 'sonkei' or 'elder brother', after the past month or two, which Naruto was at first very uncomfortable with. No one had ever called him anything close to family before, but Raj was more than happy to.

"So he did this to you too?" he asked up at Raj.

"No." Raj flat out rejected and raised his left arm to the sky, admiring a large line down the inside. It looked like a scar from where Naruto was sitting. "Try Houkou did that to me, and Houkou was as big as they come."

"Oh." Naruto looked to his shoulder again; yes it could have been much worse.

"We've gotta get you some new clothes." Raj was chuckling. "Yours don't quite fit right anymore and it's hindering your movement."

"You've been there the whole time." Naruto glanced at his t-shirt and pants. Sure they were getting a little loser the more lean he got off the diet of deer and hare, and he could see how it was tripping him up. He sighed and looked up at the moon. "Any villages near here?"

"Hai, quite a few; the best one is Dorsa though." Raj leapt down and pulled Naruto to his feet, grinning like a mad man again. "Ryo's been wanting to go and I…I like the girls."

Naruto stood still for a moment, shocked, and then began to point wildly at Raj. "You're a perv!"

"Hey now! Hey now!" Raj leapt back and waved his hands in front of him back and forth in a denying motion. "I don't peak or nothing. I only admire from afar."

"In other words you're a perv, Sonkei."

For a moment they both stared at one another. They both knew that was the first time Naruto had called Raj 'brother' in kind. It had stunned them both at first but Raj was quick to recover and he tackled Naruto to the ground and they wrestled despite Naruto's shoulder protesting the movement.

"Who are you to call me a perv? Foxes are known for their seduction and charming techniques!"

Naruto laughed and pinned Raj's arm behind him and then shoved him to the ground. "Well I have met pervs before, I know one when I see one Sonkei and you are one."

Raj and he chuckled and wrestled some more before finding themselves out of breath. They sat for a moment and smiled at one another before standing, brushing off some of the dirt, and heading for the tree. They really were brothers, Naruto thought as they walked along. They fought and got along like real brothers did, or as he had seen when he watched other families during his lonely days in Konoha. For once he had something to liken to a family.

When they got back Ryo only shook her head and motioned Naruto over to her. She brought out the bandages, kept in one of the knotholes of the tree they all slept in and around. She bandaged him up neatly and then began to pack a bag. "So are we good for Dorsa?"

"Yep," Raj leapt to his favorite branched, marked by the huge recliner like curve it created when branch met trunk. "Sonkei needs some new clothes."

"Well duh, we all do." Ryo snorted and threw a bag up at Raj. "I want to leave by sun-up. Dorsa is a couple of hours from here." She threw a satchel towards Naruto as well as she explained to him. "It's not a far trip but we might have to stay the night there."

If Kiro was the alpha of the wolf pack, it was Ryo that was the alpha of the three of them. No matter what it was cool, calm, Ryoki that had the plan, the route, and the direction. It was kind of nice to know his place in a group and to know he was viewed as an equal. Even though Ryo was the leader, he and Raj had their uses, and she knew how to utilize every one of her brother's talents. She was probably still getting a feel for what Naruto could do and he did fear being labeled as useless again, even though Ryo always seemed to enjoy watching him fight. She never belittled him, or corrected anything, but she would point things that she saw and let him come up with his own solutions.

The three of them packed and began to put down for the night. Wolves began to come to the tree as well, panting and exhausted from what appeared to be a successful hunt. Some had blood still staining their muzzles and some just looked downright frightful. Some of the younger ones came up to where Naruto had staked out as 'his' spot at the base of the tree and began to curl up next to and on top of him.

Some of the older individuals leaped up to where Raj was and perched themselves around his tree branches and Kiro and Kuroi, as always, curled up with Ryo on the other side of the tree that he had perched himself on.

Naruto looked around at the breathing mass of fur curled up with him. Some were only beside him or near him and others with their heads on his legs and lap. He looked up for a moment at Raj, already snoring in content in his tree and back to Ryo, speaking quietly with Kiro and Kuroi.

This was home. He'd only been with them for a couple of months and he felt like this was his home. He had lived for twelve years in Konoha and all he had ever felt there was the need to show everyone, to prove himself. He smiled and let his hand curl up in the fur of one of the massive creatures resting next to him. He curled up and rested his head on one of the older wolves behind him and smiled.

This was home.

* * *

Dorsa was a pretty large market town near the borders of Waterfall and Earth. It was crowded with shops and carts all over the place. It seemed just as busy as any Hidden Village Naruto had been in before and he hardly noticed when Raj darted away from them to go stake out a place to 'admire' from. He was too busy watching the crowds of people and the shops.

Part of him was on a razor's edge. The likelihood of anyone from Leaf being in this part of Grass was slim to none. Still Jiraiya liked to travel to some pretty odd places and if Raj thought there were girls here the perv might as well. There was just that slim chance of running into a familiar face. To live among demons was a safety net. Hardly anyone traversed in the forest just to the south of the borders because of the rumors of the pack. It kept Naruto relatively safe from anyone ever seeing him or discovering who he was.

In villages it was a whole other story.

"Relax, Kitsune." Ryo was murmuring as she stopped inside one of the stores and started browsing through the selection. Where Raj had started calling Naruto 'sonkei', Ryo had gone another route, she had begun calling him 'fox'. It was almost enduring coming from her, because she had specifically given him a nickname. Still it reminded him of what had led him to Raj and Ryo.

"I can easily put an illusion charm on you if you'd like." She was saying as she began to dig through the sleeveless tops made of light cotton weaves near the back of the store. Spring was finally starting to fade a little and the summer heat, as the twins described it, would be upon them soon.

Naruto had worn jackets constantly so he had explained he'd not mind it, but they were trying to convince him otherwise. "The ones I'm worried about wouldn't fall for something like that." He frowned as he began to pick and choose also, just as Raj had said he needed something that would actually fit him now. "They are a bit more perceptive."

"Like hell. You don't know the lore behind the named beasts do you? What their titles among their kind were?"

Naruto merely shook his head. Of course he didn't. All he knew before meeting them had been that demons were to be feared, and captured, and sealed. He hadn't even thought of there being titles or clans of the creatures roaming about the world.

Ryo kept along, picking up things here and there, and even threw a few things towards Naruto which he caught and looked up at her inquisitively. "Orange is an awful color for you…doesn't look right with your eyes."

Naruto blushed but accepted the clothing, knowing he really did have to change the whole style if he was going to blend in among different locations and countries and still not be recognized by someone.

"So explain the lore…" he prompted her.

"Well since you've been with us, you've learned that there is more than just the tailed demons right?"

"Obviously."

"Well each tailed-demon that the humans knew of had a title…a name that was unlike any of the other demons. These names and titles were to describe their abilities or their nature. For example Kyuubi was known as the God of Fire."

"That makes sense."

"Gobi no Houkou was known as the God of Illusions." Ryo smirked a little to herself in fond remembrance of her surrogate father.

"That doesn't make as much sense." Naruto frowned as he held up a light hooded sweater with a zipper up the front. It would be a good color, tan, and it had a nice weave to it.

"Houkou's tails represented each element of nature. Chakra always has some elemental lean to it. People have elements too." Ryo pushed him towards the back where dressing rooms were located. "Because of this, Houkou was good at illusions because he was good at drawing upon natural energy. It's the same with me and Raj because of our eyes."

"I always wondered about your guy's eyes." Naruto gingerly lifted his shirt off, wincing as his shoulder stretched uncomfortably. He wasn't aware that Ryo had stayed nearby to make sure what she had picked out fit right or not. "Is it a bloodline trait?"

"That is what most people say." Ryo said flippantly. "To us it just is. We've always had them so it wasn't anything new to us. We were always good with natural jutsu and Houkou merely picked up the trait and began to have us focus on our eyes. Oh! That's a pretty necklace! Where did you get it?"

Naruto turned so quick it made Ryo snicker a bit and point to the charm around his neck.

"This?" he grasped at it protectively for some reason and tried to not think of the woman who gave it to him. "I won it in a bet."

"It's a rare color of blue." Ryo turned away and headed for one of the other booths to try on her own garments. Naruto could still feel the blush on his cheeks and hurried to put his shirt back on and pay for what fit.

He did mentally take note that Ryo's favorite color had to be blue. Her clothing choices and her accessories always had some shade of the color in them…so did Raj's for that matter but Raj probably did that to match his sister, not for any preference he held. To play on the lore of twins meant getting into some places they normally could not.

"I guess so. It's like a good luck charm." That was a lie really, but it hadn't killed him yet he supposed.

"Why haven't I ever seen it outside of your shirt before now?" Ryo emerged, a new silky top on and her hair in a loose ponytail instead of the braid she normally kept it in. She took the tag and some other pants and shirts to the store owner. As Naruto followed her she snagged his stash from him. "Consider it a present since I did pick half of that stuff out."

"I dunno, I guess I never really thought about it." Naruto fidgeted. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Ryo smiled back and paid the woman.

Naruto reached out instantly to take the bags the woman presented. "You paid…"

"Okay, I guess I'll let you be the gentleman then." Ryo joked and they exited the store back onto the busy streets. Naruto felt an odd sensation around him and he looked over at Ryo questioningly. "You look nice as a brunette."

"You used a henge? But you didn't make any hand signs?"

"We don't need to, not for that." Ryo winked her one blue eye with the blue pupil. "We can draw on Natural Energies, which is all around us. It is something few can do. I know the Toads of Myouboku Mountain can, though they have a different way of doing it than we do. Houkou taught me and Raj the way he did it, it was less involved than the Toads way but the arts Toads can do are much more impressive so it's not a surprise. Really what our eye allows us to do is sense chakra's natural element and then to use whatever element we see fit, not just the one we are naturally attuned to. The illusions were Houkou's teachings."

Naruto had gone stiff at the mention of the Toads and wondered idly if she knew any of those toads herself or if she had only heard rumors.

"And something I have said has upset you." She turned on her foot and eyed him. "You know about Houkou and you know about us, so it must be the Toads."

Naruto gave a nervous grin and tried to ignore it, but she was a damn good idea for details, which annoyed him sometimes. "I've…seen a few summoned toads before."

"Really? Last we had heard the only human they were contracted with was some hermit."

"Ero-sannin." Naruto couldn't help but whisper. Technically he was also contracted with the Toads of Myouboku, but he would never use that summon technique again if he didn't want an angry Sannin showing up in the forest to pound him to within an inch of his life.

The thought of the older man made his stomach knot up but he quickly pushed the guilt away and focused on where this conversation was headed.

"You've met the old hermit then?"

"You could say that."

Ryo only nodded and began to walk again, taking in the little side carts and humming as she went. Naruto was glad she had let it drop like she had but something was still bothering him.

"How do you know about the summons?"

Ryo blinked at him a few times then smirked. "Think about it, fox-kit; huge animals that ninja can summon with chakra…some of which can talk to you."

"You're not saying their demons are you?" Naruto scrunched up his face and refused to believe it but then again, her point held some merit.

"Oh no, no." Ryo laughed as they passed into a huge courtyard like crossroads of Dorsa. She stopped again and began to look around. "Most summoning contracts are what we call cousins. Maybe a long, long time ago their clans were demon-bred, but after so long dealing with humans and being summoned and training for specific rolls they were reduced to being just one-tails, or as they are called cousins. They aren't demons anymore, they are just related."

"The Toad Clan is most like demons, they have retained the ability to speak and to be versatile in their abilities. Most of the rest are just inventions or trained pets by now. Bred to be the way they are for the purpose of fighting, spying, or relaying messages." Ryo continued when Naruto didn't respond. "What you don't understand quite yet is that generations before ours, demons weren't all that different from humans, or humans weren't any different than demons. It was us that deviated from that tradition and began to snuff the demon clans out."

Naruto nodded, sure that if he asked her to, Ryo would recite what she knew from her contact with Houkou. "Just out of curiosity… how old was Houkou…when you met him?"

"Demons can live for as long as they are not severely injured by another demon or if they are sealed away into a container." Ryo's tone became serious. "The tailed beasts saw things that many could not see. They are timeless because of their power. But since most have been sealed away, their knowledge and their power will soon be gone from this world."

"Houkou passed all that knowledge on to you, didn't he?"

Ryo hung her head and one of her arms reached up to hold her arm in an odd sort of self hug. "Houkou knew about Akatsuki before many had even realized there had been a power shift in Rain. He knew eventually they'd come for him and since he refused to leave his Tree, his Home, he knew that time was short. So he taught me all the lore, along with Kiro. It was like he chose Raj and I to be his human pack, because he missed having people around like he used to."

"I'm sorry." Naruto apologized, seeing that the topic he hadn't let drop like she had with him, was causing her grief.

"No, don't be. How else will you learn?" She smiled a little at him and began to scan the crowds around the large town square again. "You came from a society built on fear of what isn't understood. Humans learned different from demons and so the rift was started. But if more of us learn about what once was, maybe it could be like it once was."

"You'll tell me about it all sometime?" Naruto smiled too, hoping to bring back out the happy Ryo again.

"Sure." Ryo sighed and pointed ahead of her. "There's Raj."

Ahead near a center fountain feature, Rajan had acquired himself a little harem of girls. They all seemed to gather around him as he went through the motions of telling some big story, and seemed transfixed on his odd eyes. Naruto had to groan along with Ryoki as they approached them all.

"Hey Raj!" Ryo finally yelled as they got closer. The girls turned, ready to pounce on who was about to join their ranks but then they all smiled at the sight of Ryo and Naruto.

"Look! His twin sister!"  
"She does have an odd eye just like him!"  
"That brunette's pretty cute too."  
"Who's your cute friend Rajan?"

Rajan grinned wickedly and boasted proudly. "That's Naruto and Ryoki, my brother and my sister."

"Your brother? But he doesn't look a thing like you two."

"Well he's a brother in spirit yah?" he winked at Naruto and Naruto scratched his head and nodded in kind.

"Come on 'brother' we want to find something for lunch, and I know you didn't take any money with you." Ryo crossed her arms in front of her.

"Oh, good, I was getting hungry! Sorry ladies, family calls."

A loud chorus of 'awws' followed them as Raj walked with a certain strut in his step. Ryo merely shook her head and took the lead; heading for what Naruto guessed was her favorite place in the Dorsa area.

He couldn't quite suppress his need to goad his 'brother'.

"What happened to admire from afar?" he grinned just as wickedly as Rajan had before and Rajan snarled in kind, but had a smirk on his face as well.

"It is not my fault they wanted to sample the goods."

"You didn't just say that." Ryo spoke back to them both. "You are perverted Rajan."

"See," Naruto elbowed him hard in his side. "Told you, you were a perv."

* * *

After a full day of exploring, shopping and eating, Ryo led them to a smaller inn near the gates of the border town. The next day they left early in the morning as they had the day before, their goods in tow. Naruto had been relieved to leave the village without seeing anyone of note on their trip and was content to follow the twins through the grasses they still knew just a slight bit better than him.

But as they lazed about in the early afternoon sun, taking a few hours quiet rest following their return to the Great Tree, he began to realize his arm was a lot stiffer than it had been the day before and it burned where Kiro had bit him. He checked the bandages again but didn't find any stains of blood on the white gauze he had redressed the wound with before leaving that morning.

So he curled himself up in his spot at the base of the tree and opted for a nap. His arm probably was just sore from all the movement it had been through yesterday and it just needed a bit of rest for it to heal. Usually the demon fox's chakra had been quicker to heal wounds like this one but maybe the Kyuubi was just in a pissed off mood and had decided to let Naruto suffer.

It was hours later when he felt something warm and oozy ease onto his skin. He jerked instinctively from it and backed away from the source of the touch. It was an old reaction triggered by the many 'fights' he had been in when he was younger. He knew better to let anyone get that close to him when he wasn't aware of it at first.

He found it was just Ryoki, kneeling next to where he had been. On his shoulder was a large leaf, probably pulled from the tree plastered over his bite marks. It was now much darker outside and the hazy light of sunset was fading through the trees.

"My apologizes, Kitsune." She whispered to him lightly as she inched towards him again. She brushed his hair back which in turn made him flinch. Ryo smiled sadly and withdrew her hand completely. "I should have checked the bites more carefully. Raj says you and he got in a sparring match after you got them."

"Didn't seem to bother them much then." Naruto replied and looked at the leaf in curiosity, what was this she had put on it? It wasn't like the bandages he had used earlier. The sensation of what was on the leaf itself made him shudder a bit. The smell was of herbs and the warmth did feel nice against the bite.

"No, probably didn't, but it seems to be infected now. It's all red and puffy; it's warm to the touch. I've made a poultice to draw it out though and help the burning sensation."

"Usually the fox deals with this stuff."

"I would think so too." Ryo frowned a bit. She patted the leaf down tightly, sensing her approach would be accepted now that Naruto was more awake. "I'll be right back," she said as she stood and went around the tree to her side, as he saw it.

He repositioned himself again against the smooth bark of the tree and pulled on the light blanket he sometimes used when the nights were a little bit colder. He still felt exhausted. Yawning, his eyes began to drop again and he didn't really fight it.

Before he went back to sleep fully he could kind of make out Ryo's voice nearby.

"Why did he jerk away like that Kiro?"

"He was probably mistreated Ryo. That is why we let him acclimate to us before starting in on him. He acted like a dog that had been beaten one too many times when he was faced with us. I'm surprised my stunt didn't make him withdraw from me, honestly." Kiro's voice sounded quite a bit closer to him than Ryo's did.

"Way to go; now he's sick."

He never heard the old wolf's defense to what he had done. Instead he found himself in front of the cage that housed the demon-fox. Naruto stood staring into the darkness until the familiar red chakra flared up and the wide red eyes peered at him through the aged steel bars.

_**So you've found yourself in the company of wolves…**_ the fox's deep voice asked in a sultry purr.

"_What would you know; you've been sleeping this whole time…"_

_**I know bijuu when I sense them, and you are surrounded by quite a few of them. Houkou used to lead this pack, that traitorous old hound…It was his brother that bit you.**_

"_Speaking of…"_

_**It does not hurt you to heal like a normal person from time to time. That wolf pup seems capable enough to taking after you.**_

"_Ryo"_

_**I must admit I like this situation better than I did that village of idiots you once lived in. Still there is still a threat here. You plan on assimilating me then?**_

"_What?"_

_**The female wolf claims to know how to train you in controlling my chakra. I have no doubt they would have the knowledge of the Jinchuuriki. They plan on training you how to assimilate my chakra into yours…the seal would have done it eventually but this way is much faster.**_

"_I didn't understand that's what they meant." _

_**No you did not know, but now you do. What will you do with me now that you have a way to get rid of me?**_

"_That's not what I want. I don't want to be you…"_

_**But you want something don't you? You want to be free of me…**_

"_I want my own life." _

_**Then you should follow their training. **_The fox surprised Naruto with the response. _**Do not flatter yourself, I am merely tired of this cage and since you seem to have no intentions of ever removing this seal this way would mean my release in a different way. If you tell that old flea-bitten mutt to take you to the Fox's territory, then you can reinstate what once was between wolf and fox. Then I will give you the gift of your own kind and the training can begin.**_

Naruto woke with a start. He was laying flat now, still under the tree but beside him a gathering of some of the younger wolves had come and curled up next to him. The pups weren't like most of the adult wolves who had adapted to Ryo and Raj, not him. The pups seemed to bond more with this odd wolf in their midst's.

He felt his head move up and down. He turned his eyes to look behind his head and he found Kiro behind his head, sleeping lazily in the early morning sun. At his feet Ryo was propped up against the tree covered in a hooded sweater, wait…his hooded sweater that he had just bought, and sleeping deeply.

"I felt the fox in you." The wolf's muzzle was now poking his shoulder, sniffing inquisitively at the offending wrap now in place. Kiro lapped at the edges of the patch Ryo had put there last night and then laid his head over Naruto's shoulder and under his chin.

"We had a talk." Naruto grumbled, still a little off from the whole experience. "He said something about taking me to the foxes…"

"Ah, so to induct you as a true fox then." Kiro snorted, his hot breath hitting his exposed skin and making him shudder for a moment.

"He wants to be free, one way or another…"

"Then he has accepted there is no other way… how odd for the Kitsune." Kiro muttered. "Kyuubi was always a brash fox…it would seem age and time to think has mellowed him a bit."

"I wouldn't go as far to say that." Naruto frowned at some of his more interesting experiences with the Kyuubi's chakra.

"Times before I would assume that your life was in danger. That awakens any demon's bloodlust." Kiro explained. "Now your experience with it will be in a controlled environment and with the fox's consent. Do not worry fox-kit; we will travel to the land of the foxes."

"This is getting into strange territory Kiro." Naruto groaned. "I didn't want all this… I just wanted to be away from those…who…"

"You made yourself a sheep for the wolves to eat. Your old den was full of predators. The only way to return to such a place is to become a bigger predator."

"Who said I could go back?"

"Someday you might…or you will find yourself in some place very similar to where you came from. You were chosen as the container for the demon fox for a reason, Naruto. And you came to this pack for a reason as well." Kiro nuzzled closer to Naruto in an odd show of comfort. "You are still just a kit, just like Ryo and Raj, forced too soon to grow up into a juvenile. You aren't quite adults yet, but you know more than most about the world because of what you have been through. Because of that, Kitsune, you will become leaders, no matter what your will is.

Naruto absorbed the wolf's words and fingered the necklace Ryo had admired the other day. The promise of becoming Hokage…the one he gave up…could he possibly still have his dream? Was that even his dream anymore?

"Go back to sleep, silly kit. The fire still burns in your wound."

"You're the one that put it there." Naruto laughed a little and reached up to scratch the wolf's ear, near his face. It was mainly to move it out of his mouth but at the same time the touch of the silky fur felt nice to his fingertips so he kept scratching.

Kiro only huffed a bit. "The one thing you humans are good for," he murmured in content. "Scratching our ears."

* * *

**Words and Meanings**

**Kitsune** – fox (duh)  
**Sonkei** – elder brother  
**Kuroi **– black  
**Kiro** – crossroads/one's way  
**Bijuu** – word used in manga/anime to describe demons  
**Akatsuki** – organization hunting the bijuu, the word itself can stand for daybreak,  
**Gobi** – five  
**Houkou** – the 5 tailed demon dog/wolf, his name can stand for many things including: direction, way, yell, and howl  
**Jinchuuriki - **word used in the manga/anime to describe those with demons sealed in them


	3. Between Fox and Wolf

**The Strength of the Wolf**

Chapter 2:Between Fox and Wolf

Chapter Summary:Four years have passed with Naruto in the Land of Grass, training and traveling with Rajan and Ryoki. The Container for the Demon Fox has grown and learned from the fabled Demon Wolves that are merely whispers and myths to the Shinobi of Kuso, and he has learned to trust in his own skill. With the three slowly inching their way towards adulthood, Naruto's training will take another turn he wasn't yet expecting. Is the fox now to become a wolf, or will the wolf become a fox?

"_A Fox is a Wolf who sends flowers." – Ruth Weston_

_

* * *

_

The growls and snarls that came from the Northern plains of Grass were those of rumor and myth. There were tales of the large wolves that hunted among the ancient forests yet to be touched by human hands. Even more rumors spread about the half-demon, half-human beasts that had made their home among the trees and all that trespassed upon their sacred lands were torn to shreds and were cursed to a horrible, slow death. These stories were circulated and cultivated by the many local merchants and traveling bands…even some Shinobi would whisper and point out the territory of the fabled wolves.

There weren't many, however, who could claim to have actually have seen the creatures said to have claimed the lush forest lands just south of the borders of Rock and Waterfall. Many would just claim to have heard the chorus of howls, breaking the silence of the nights they spent nearby, chilling them to the point that none would sleep a wink until they were further away.

These rumors kept many from just idly roaming through the lands; even those shinobi who would be more apt to handle said travel through the wilds of Grass, hardly if ever crossed the line between known territory and the forests.

And that was just fine with the residents of the patch of forested land.

"Damn you!"

The sound of a kunai slicing through the crisp night air barely made as much as an impact as the resulting loud clang of metals colliding with one another. The sound of their scraping together would normally denote the battle of ninja nearby, trying to best one another in close combat; trying to show which was the stronger when it came to physical strength.

A loud boom broke the relative silence of the forests and it woke many of the daytime creatures, causing them to scatter widely, unsure as to what had caused the disruption in their peace. They fled to the center of their glens, to the tops of their trees, all to avoid the two combatants just to the edge of the grassland plains outside their world.

If any were near they would find themselves disbelieving, seeing not two seasoned veterans brawling in the darkness of the night, but two teenagers, seeming to have a fierce contest of wills as they each darted and parried with one another in the swatch of grasslands just to the east of the forest's edge.

Around their feet a large patch of grass was missing, leaving only dented, exposed earth in the wake of whatever had caused the loud explosion just seconds before. It did not seem to bother either boy, as they continued to throw kunai, slash swords, and tried to get in close enough to strike at one another.

One moved back, making a series of hand signs and then allowing dirt particles to collect around his clenched fists. The dirt seemed to form cohesiveness and solidified, becoming hard as a stone. Finishing the preparations of his jutsu, the boy rushed forward towards his opponent, fists rounded and ready to strike.

As the two came together, the other male made his own hand signs and swung his arms in a wide sweeping motion in front of him, forcing a gust of wind to part the grasses in front of him, as well as knock his attacker, and his stone hands, back to the ground.

"I surrender! I surrender! Damn Sonkei, I don't think I like you learning your element so damn fast." Rajan wailed as he hit the ground, holding up his hands in a human version of a lupine surrender. He was panting heavily and his clothes were torn and ripped at various places.

"I don't Think I like you throwing shit at my head….Sonkei." Naruto panted in return as he returned his kunai to its pouch and sat on an exposed rock nearby. He too was panting heavily and his clothes looked just as bad as Raj's did.

"What was that thing called again, the little swirly ball of chakra?"

"It's called Rasengan. The old hermit taught it to me before all hell broke loose." Naruto replied, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. He had no reservations now, telling Raj the details of his jutsu. He and Ryo, over time, had broken down a few of his harder barriers and he had begun to tell them about his life in Konoha and the few he had considered family from the Leaf.

In all honesty it was kind of nice to be using the technique again; he had been learning for so long now to solely rely on his weapons and his taijutsu to fight that he had nearly forgotten what else ninja were capable of. Kiro had drilled into his head the idea that chakra could sometimes be neutralized and then where would he be? Lately, however, the old wolf had been allowing him the use of his preferred jutsu's providing he did not let his other areas of attack falter in result.

Ryo had even told Naruto his natural elemental alignment and taught him a few quick Fuutons to get back into the habit of using ninjutsu as well.

"Damn that's a hard thing to block, all that chakra you put in it." Rajan finally stood and popped his spine a bit. "How many hours do you think we just blew off?"

"Well it's dark now…"Naruto glanced around them. "What'd we start out mid-morning? A good work out, hai?"

"Maybe for you." Raj frowned, also taking note of the hour. "I'm gonna need to sleep for a week to recover."

"That is because you are lazy, Rajan."

Both teenagers turned their attention to the voice to the sidelines. Kiro, the large gray/white wolf laid nearby. Even though Kiro had started out training with them both, the wolf had bowed out hours ago when the two boys had focused entirely on each other and had entered into another one of their wild competitions for dominance.

"Yeah, look who's calling the kettle black, you chickened out hours ago, old wolf." Rajan stuck his tongue out at their training partner.

Kiro merely rolled his eyes and huffed loudly.

At some point Ryoki had joined the wolf and sat relaxed, leaning up against Kiro like a pillow, reading through a book she had received through their last job for the Lord Owashi in Grass. She chuckled a bit and closed the book and turned her eyes on the boys.

"I do believe, Kitsune, you've more than earned your fangs and claws." Kiro stretched and sat up, unintentionally propping Ryo up as well. "Now to see how well you fair against Ryoki…"

Naruto blinked a few times as Ryo stood and stretched in front of him. She didn't snicker or portray that this was some kind of joke; she seemed just as confident and self-assured as she always was when setting out on a job and as he realized Kiro wasn't kidding, he felt Raj backing away from him.

"Oh no, not me, I know I am no match for Ryo." Rajan started shaking his head back and forth. "Good luck on this one Sonkei."

"You can't be serious? I've been training the past four years with you," he indicated Kiro. "And I've worked my way up to Ryo?" Naruto looked between them. "I thought you said you were also trained by the wolves?"

He never really got a response, just the feeling that the dirt beneath his feet was moving and he looked down in time to feel his balance shift, and he went flying back. Before he could get back up on his feet the dirt seemed to reach up and snare him by his wrists and ankles. He struggled for a second but then went limp, realizing it was a losing battle.

Ryo came leisurely strolling up to him, standing above him, her blue eye standing out more to Naruto than it normally did; its pupil seemed more enlarged and all seeing than it had before. She smirked happily for a few minutes before she finally blinked and the dirt fell away.

"Better rest up, Kitsune!" she chirped happily as she turned on her heel neatly and strolled past Kiro and Raj. "You and that chakra of yours must learn to deal with me now."

Naruto watched her go before sitting back up again. He returned his gaze to Kiro and Raj, still chuckling quietly at his easy defeat. "Seriously….I'm training with Ryo?"

"Yes, Kitsune, with Ryo." Kiro stretched out, his front paws digging into the soft dirt and his hind quarters rising up, fully showing off the three tails the demon held. "You seem to always forget that Raj and Ryo were not just trained by the wolves, but by Lord Houkou."

"Ryo a lot more than I was, I was always the troublemaker." Raj winked. "Ryo was always his 'little wolf', she had better control over her eye than I did and she's a damn good illusionist. Houkou saw in her a better student than she saw in me…"

"No shit…"Naruto grumbled playfully but he was fully ignored by Raj.

"Ryo is the brains and the brawn of our little outfit. Unless…of course…you start getting faster, then you might qualify as the brawn."

"And where will that leave you?"

"It leaves me as the easy-going fall back guy." Raj stuck out his tongue. Kiro merely snuffed and turned to follow Ryoki, back Naruto assumed, to the tree. It was getting kind of late. Raj too turned and stalked off, still a little sore and grouchy that he had indeed lost to Naruto, where his sister had just knocked the oaf over.

Naruto let them go and fell back into the tall grass again. He stared up at the stars sparkling in the clear night sky. The quiet of the air around him was soothing and allowed him to release some of the still pent up tension from his fight with Rajan. He'd be tired soon enough, he just wasn't yet. He soon felt a small nip at his fingertips and looked down to find one of the one-tailed wolves staring at him with big expressive green eyes. Naruto reached out and began to scratch her ears and the wolf put herself right next to Naruto's side.

This was the life, Naruto concluded. There wasn't any pressing issues at hand, no threats or enemies to worry about, he had time to train and to have fun, and time to just let him mind wander peacefully as he listened to the contented huffs coming from the wild wolf demon next to him.

"I wonder if anyone would recognize me now…" the 16-year-old muttered to no one in particular. The only one who heard him was his companion, who merely flipped her one ear up towards Naruto's head, almost as if she was indeed listening to him.

Both Naruto and Rajan had grown rapidly the past few years, as most teenage boys did. Naruto was now easily taller than Raj, but Raj had a bit more bulk to him, due to their differing styles of attacks. Rajan had always liked swords and weapons and he had begun to pick up more to add to his arsenal during their last incursions. He trained constantly with the blades and short daggers and carried at least two with him everywhere. Because of his preference he needed more control and muscle strength to swing and control the steel blades than he would have needed just tossing kunai.

Naruto still found himself taking to the tricks of the trade taught to him at the Academy. He still preferred to use the kunai and ninjutsu that he was comfortable with but instead of then, he now knew what a real fight was. He knew how to take the fight up close and personal, which made many of a shinobi nervous; hiding behind their jutsu. Then again there were those just like Raj who fought with swords and fists, taijutsu specialists that were weak against ninjutsu. So Naruto had developed into a kind of middle ground between Raj and Ryo. Not too specialized in one area or the other, but quick enough to switch between them both. It made him more wiry and lanky than Rajan was.

He assumed now that he had learned most of what he could about taijutsu and fighting with his 'fangs' Ryo was going to start helping him round out his ninjutsu. He had a good feel for what he already knew but what he already knew only had limited and sometimes restricted uses. He knew it was going to be difficult because Ryo hardly ever used hand signs, especially if it was an illusion she was working on. It was a quirk of her bloodline that Ryo could draw upon natural energies and use them for lifelike illusions that were hard to detect and even harder to escape.

And Naruto had already admitted, in disdain, how horrible he had been with Genjutsu, so Ryo was more than likely going to start playing on that weakness in a bid to bring him up to speed.

Ryo too had grown the past few years and Naruto found himself constantly trying to keep his eyes off of her. She was not anywhere near as tall as Rajan and he were; the boys had out grown her about a year back. But she had grown in other ways…the ways a young woman did and Naruto did have to admit to Raj once that he was starting to see what his and the old hermit's obsession was with the female form.

He did not specifically say 'Ryo's Form' because Rajan probably would have snapped his neck a few times. But Rajan had never really pressed him too much about the comment, he merely welcome Naruto to manhood. _Stupid Jerk…_he had once thought about Raj's hobby but now that he found himself watching Ryo go about her usual routines; her workouts, her tasks about the tree…

And then finding that he was being watched by half of the older wolves in the pack in turn...

It made him realize just what a task it was Raj was undertaking. It was a little unnerving.

Ryo now only came to Naruto's shoulder in height. Raj was just a tad bit taller than his twin but Raj never missed an opportunity to tease and hold it over Ryo's head that he had at least passed her in one aspect of their lives. Her long, copper-toned hair was now near to her feet and formed, as he liked to think of it, a tail of her very own. She nearly always kept it in a long braid or in a loosely held ponytail. Her body had curves now and she just seemed to move more gracefully on their missions than before.

She was just different from the 13-year-old girl that had drug him into the wilds of Grass Country. Now she was a 17-year-old beauty.

"Kitsune?"

Ryo's quiet muttering of his name startled him out of his quiet contemplation. He opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them, and found her once again standing over him.

"You plan on staying here all night?" she smiled knowingly at him and crouched down beside him, reaching out to also pet the wolf that had been keeping him company.

"Nah, I'm just thinking Ryo." He smiled in return. "What's up? Are we getting started already?"

Ryo laughed and flopped herself down right next to him. "Are you insane? You and Raj just came off a day's long sparring match. I do not want to drag your ass back to the tree, you're too heavy."

"Awww, you sure about that?" Naruto teased back. "You could always just get Raj to do it."

"I don't think you'd like where you would end up if Raj had to do it."

"Good point…"

They fell into silence as they both stared up at the stars. It was the same easy going silence Naruto remembered finding so odd back in Fire Country when Raj and Ryo had very neatly invited themselves into his makeshift camp and began to worm information out of him. Now he enjoyed the silence between them. It meant they were comfortable enough with each other to know nothing needed to be said. They could just hang out with each other and it was okay.

Back in Konoha he had always chattered and laughed…anything to fill the void of silence because it was the silence that made him realize he was alone. So he had played the role as a prankster and an idiot. He would make loud boasts and over-excited sentences that normally annoyed those around him, but at least gave him the satisfaction that it wasn't _quiet._

"_No," _he realized suddenly. "_No one would really recognize me now." _He was a very different person than he had been then.

"Naruto," Ryo said quietly and turned her heads towards him. "We should talk about what else Kiro wants you to start."

Naruto also turned his head to face Ryoki. Normally if she called him by his real name, and not her pet name for him, they were either in a town or village and she did not want to point out his 'resident' or she was being dead serious about what she had to say to him. "Oh, what's that? He's not going to bite me again is he?"

"Only if you don't move fast enough." Ryo reached over and slugged him in the shoulder. "No, he wants to take a trip. Remember the conversation you had with Kyuubi-sama?"

"Which one? There have been quite a few of them over time…" Naruto frowned and turned back to the sky.

"The one where he agreed to let you learn how to assimilate his chakra."

Naruto winced and clenched his teeth. Back after learning the demon fox's chakra could be controlled, he had become a bit nervous at the prospect of it. But just as suddenly as Kiro and Kuroi had brought it up, it had been dropped and only now it had resurfaced. He was stupid to think that the demons had merely just forgotten about their promise to train him 'right'.

"Kiro thinks you are ready to start learning how to gain the fox's chakra. By now he thinks you've instinctively built up one tail of it on your own, but anything past that will take a conscious effort on your part and the Kyuubi's consent."

"Why now?"

"Because you are now strong enough to contain whatever backlash might come from it and because you are still young enough to recover from whatever the backlash might be." Ryo frowned a little and gazed past him into the sea of grass.

Naruto sighed, reopened his eyes and gazed at a particularly bright star just above him. This was still strange territory that bothered him. The thought of 'assimilating' a demon's chakra as his own seemed to be a crucial line between 'human' and 'demon' that he did not want to cross.

"I know this upsets you…why?" Ryo pressed him, poking him lightly in the arm until he finally looked back her mismatched eyes and he felt compelled to spill his guts.

"You know that's what people used to call me…demon and monster. They were convinced I was the Fox. If I do this, it kinda makes them right."

Ryo seemed to mull over his words quietly before answering. She usually had the right thing to say so Naruto waited patiently till she responded.

"No, it does not. You will never be a demon, Naruto-san. The way that the seal works, honestly, it would happen naturally without our help, but it would be no use to you by the time you acquired all nine tails. You may not be able to acquire all nine-tails until you are much older anyway. All this training merely is giving you a demon's chakra reserves. You would still be a human and you would still be rather vulnerable in comparison to a demon fox, especially one like Kyuubi."

"That's reassuring." He chuckled a bit, finding it hard not to laugh at the prospect that she just told him he'd still be able to die if he royally screwed up.

"Honestly, this is just a way to get around the seal. You wouldn't run the risk of losing control of your body like you have said you have done in the past because in part the tails would be yours not his."

"Part of my brain understands all of that. The other part wants to hold on to old fears, even after this long."

"It really hasn't been that long." Ryo sat up and hugged her knees with her arms. "Something like that would be hard to forget. You just have to trust us….." There was a long, heavy pause as her eyelids drooped a little, like she was trying to hide what she was feeling. "That kind of brings up the next concern…."

"You mean there's more?" Naruto tried to make light of the conversation seeing Ryo was really struggling with whatever else she and Kiro had thought up for him.

"It is about the fox's territory, where they normally den." Ryo fully turned her face away from him and hugged her knees tightly to her chest.

"Oh? Where is that?"

"Fire Country."

"Oh…"

At first it was all he could say. That certainly was a big enough concern to warrant more attention than the first problem he had with this plan to gain 'tails'.

"Well shit…."

"I know, it is risky, but it was another reason why we waited so long to even consider going on this trip." Ryo rushed through her words, hoping to quickly put Naruto at ease again. "It has been four years, just like you said; we are hoping that your former village has finally marked you as K.I.A. instead of just missing."

"Hoping? That seems like a huge thing to hope for." Naruto frowned and sat up to be face to face with Ryoki.

"We know. But being who you were…what you were…we are hoping that they have assumed Akatsuki has claimed the power of the 9-Tails." Ryo sighed heavily. "The foxes live in a southern tip of Fire, somewhat near the River Country's border. They are a much smaller clan so there may be settlements nearby their territories, not like it is with us and the pack."

Naruto lowered his head onto his kneecaps and groaned. "Great, just great, and what happens if someone recognizes me?"

"We don't have to take the direct route; we will avoid any large settlements completely. We'll travel by night until we find the fox's den. Kiro has agreed to come with us, seeing as Foxes flee from any humans they sense and it would make it hard for us to approach them, no matter what we smell like."

"Raj is coming?"

"Of course are you kidding?" Ryo smiled happily. "We travel as a pack, always, Naruto. Raj and I would never let you go alone. See, we can even throw up a strong henge if we think someone has taken notice of us."

Naruto sighed heavily and peered at Ryo over his folded arms. She looked genuinely concerned by all of what she had just said, but she still held her confidence. If she was so sure they could do this without notice, who was he to doubt her? Raj and Ryo had been at this game of subterfuge and travel well before he had ran away from Konoha. They knew what they were doing…

"I guess I can't really argue with any of you." Naruto gave in. "So when do you think we are leaving?"

"In a couple of days, if you like. We'll try to shift our sleeping habits so we can be up at night instead." Ryo smiled and leaned over till she was leaning on Naruto's shoulder. He tensed a bit but quickly released it and relaxed.

"You still flinch." Ryo whispered into his shoulder. "Why is that?"

"Old habit."

"I doubt that." Ryo pushed herself away from him and spearheaded him with her gaze. "You didn't flinch when I hit you just a minute ago but you flinch whenever Raj or I just barely touch you."

Naruto groaned a little and hid his head in his arms. This was one of the things Ryo had been getting on him about for a while now. He knew he still flinched whenever he wasn't expecting either twin to touch him but it was a hard thing to train out of his system. He honestly did not understand his reactions to touch either. In all honestly by the time he was six or seven the attacks on his person had been pretty much eliminated due to the enforcement of the Sandaime's law. Still he could remember a few times before people turned to just glaring and talking about him behind his back…and those times were never pleasant.

"You know we would never hurt you right?"

"Hai, Roki, I know that." Naruto nodded. "I just…" he sighed heavily and looked back at Ryo. "It's hard to explain."

"Try me." Ryo stuck her tongue at him and inched just a tiny bit closer.

"I don't know how to react to it." Naruto blurted out instinctively. It was the truth, he was only used to the punches and the kicks. He'd been trained to deal with those, anything other than that he wasn't sure how he was supposed to react accordingly.

"I guess that's one area me and Raj got lucky." Ryo sighed and returned her head to his shoulder. "We knew our parents long enough to know better. Houkou changed forms a few times too, when we were sick or hurt. You never got that did you?"

"No." Naruto shook his head, glad he had predicted her laying her head back on his shoulder and hadn't done like before. "I don't mean to insult you guys. I know you guys wouldn't do that to me…."

"It's fine. I just thought you would be used to it by now."

"Like I said….old habits…."

They went back to star gazing out in the plains of Grass. Naruto did have to admit that this kind of closeness confused him but it was comforting as well. Ryo was trying to show him some bit of comfort in response to his worry about what they were about to do. No one had done that for him before so he should be grateful.

Now he was just worried he was hurting her feelings. He knew he wasn't but the worry was still there.

"Don't worry Kitsune. We'll be fine." Ryo whispered out before standing and reaching out her hand to his to help him up. Naruto grabbed it and jumped up, ready to follow her back to the tree. She had to be right….she always was.

* * *

This just had not been a good idea.

Traveling by night had really taken a huge adjustment by all of them but Kiro. Naruto himself had to adjust to the dimmer lighting conditions and Raj and Ryo apparently were used to sleeping during the times the wolves were more active. Even though the creatures bedded down with them, they were always gone by morning and it seemed that the wolves left late at night to do whatever it was they did, returning around mid-morning/afternoon to their tree, while the three human pack members were off doing whatever it was they did.

But that was not why it wasn't a good idea. No… the fact that they had passed damn near four separate teams of ninja, all Leaf, and at least two outposts used for visitors to check in before moving towards Konoha, that was why it was a bad idea.

Ever since they had set foot back into Fire Naruto had felt deep in his gut the familiar sensation to turn tail and run home to the great tree. Fuck having control over the Kyuubi…the Kitsune had more than slept these past four years, why not just let him keep sleeping and ignore the whole thing ever was brought up?

Naruto was running on reserve batteries by this point. Sleep eluded him during the daytime hours as nerves and paranoia kept him from ever really falling too deeply into rest and he constantly took every noise as an approaching threat, one that needed his attention.

Naruto focused on Kiro, a good deal ahead of the three of them, tongue rolled out and feet passing in blurs beneath him. It struck him as they begun their journey that he had not really ever seen the wolf do more than leisurely stalk around the tree and every so often come at him during training. He'd never really seen what exactly the wolf was capable of.

And right now he could see the predator in Kiro. His eyes were focused ahead, his ears swiveled and twirled like radars atop his head, and his nose was probably attuned to every scent the woodlands of Fire had to offer. This was a creature built for hunting….

For killing.

Naruto shuddered and leapt from another branch, launching himself forward through the trees. He was still trained not to back down, despite his nerves, and he was going forward. This had to happen; he finally had come to that decision. If he was ever going to not worry about the Kyuubi and what he knew it could do to him, he had to do this. No matter how uncomfortable he was with the idea…because the idea of him losing control and hurting Raj or Ryo just wasn't bearable.

"This is going to be great!" Rajan exclaimed bouncing tree branch to tree branch above him. "How often do you get to say you've met **two** demon clans in a lifetime?"

"Raj just shut up!" Ryo was berating him from near Kiro's position ahead of the pack. "You're making Naruto even more nervous."

"What for?" Raj came down and flew next to Naruto, reaching out to poke Naruto in the arm. "He's just as much a fox anyways. They'll know that chakra from miles away! Ain't you excited to get your own contract?"

"Demons sign contracts?" Naruto scrunched up his face in question. Raj rolled up his sleeve and the deep black marking Naruto had always considered just some odd tattoo was being pointed out to him.

"We are contracted to the wolf clan; if we need them we can summon Kiro, Kuroi, Toza or Rev. The three tails have given us their mark. Some of the lesser tails will come too if we only need runners." Raj explained while Kiro came to a sudden halt on the ground below. "Works just like any other contract just that the beasts are much stronger and may not answer when you call."

"But that isn't what we are really here for." Ryo sighed and shook her head at her brother. "I've explained this to you before."

"Eh, they'll end up marking him anyway." Raj stuck his tongue out at Ryo while Kiro sniffed the ground around him. "Oy! Kiro! What the hell ya doin'?"

Kiro never really answered the jab at his impromptu halt. Instead the grayish-white wolf began to snarl. Not in the playful, teasing way he did with Raj or Naruto, not in the way he did with the one-tails and younger wolves of his pack. No this was a particularly nasty snarl, with the wolf's muzzle scrunched up forming ridges in the normally smooth nose and his lips exposing the line of heavy stained teeth. The sound could even be called devilish. The snarl was deep from Kiro's throat, rumbling loud enough that Naruto thought the branch beneath his feet was trembling in response to it.

Raj and Ryo had gone silent. Both drew their weapons but made no move to approach Kiro or to fan out and find whatever it was that had set off the alpha wolf. Naruto could not find his courage to tear his eyes away from Kiro.

The gray/white fur around his scruff had become rigid and stood on end, forming a sharp jagged edge around his upper neck and all the way down to his tails, which were waving haphazardly around the back of him, turning into darker and darker shades of brown, not their normal grayish appearance. Kiro's claws dug into dirt beneath his paws and he looked like he was bracing for something, still snarling and taking in air through his open, gaping mouth.

With slow deliberate movement the wolf raised his head and let out a horrendous howl. The shockwave that resulted actually did shake the trees around and Naruto found himself and the twins reaching down or to their side to attach themselves to their perches. It was not like anything Naruto had heard the demon wolves do before. Their howls sounded just like that of any normal wolf or like the Inuzuka clan wolves would do when signaling to their human companions. This howl sounded like something straight out of a nightmare, it wasn't even a howl really…more like a roar of defiance.

It sounded like some kind of monster.

Without warning blurs of black and red came flying out from the low brush surrounding where Kiro had dug himself in. They moved with lightning speed towards the once-again snarling wolf whose eyes had now gone wide and focused on the closest blur to him, like a rabid dog staring down a threat. The old wolf's paw came loose from the ground, dirt flying up with it and tailing the claws now elongated and reaching toward the tiny blur of red and catching it neatly underneath his large paw.

It was a black fox, snarling now and yelping loudly, struggling against Kiro's paw, his own claws and teeth biting into the fur and flesh of wolf. As Kiro focused on the fox the other blur Naruto had noticed came flying from above and latched itself fiercely onto Kiro's neck, digging through the stiff fur and skin with needle sharp fangs that had been bared the moment it had come out of the tree tops.

In response Kiro roared again, throwing back his head and eyes turning to the fox now on his back. He let up the black, who darted away and up a tree opposite and began forming little balls with his mouth, spitting them out like balls.

One of Kiro's tails flew up to his neck and latched around the fox's midsection, taking tight hold and squeezing the fox until it yelped loudly and let go his hold. As soon as he felt the teeth out of his neck Kiro used the tail to fling the fox back into a nearby rock, which shattered on contact.

The black fox drew in a large breath, seeming to inflate like a balloon and then opened his mouth, causing a gust of wind that blew away leaves, loose and broken branches, and more importantly, all the little balls of red chakra he had formed while Kiro was occupied with the his companion. The little masses flew forward like bullets, speeding towards Kiro a little too quickly.

The wolf reared back on his hind legs, his tails reaching out to the trees behind him, the ones the humans had stationed themselves in, and then as quickly as he had reared up, he came crashing back down. His paws made massive dents in the ground and shook everything in range, but in front of him a large wall of earth rose up just in time to halt the coming barrage of the fox's attack.

Naruto felt the tree beneath him began to creak and crack. He glanced down and saw one of Kiro's tails, now huge in comparison, wrapped so tightly around the tree's trunk that when he had come back down to all fours, he had begun to pull the tree out by its roots. He quickly began to search for Kiro's other tails, and saw they had done the same thing, and Ryo and Raj were already on the move, back and away from the wolf's battle.

Naruto took the hint and pushed away from the tree, flying backwards propelled by his own chakra. Just as he did the roots snapped away and Kiro, with a mighty heavy of all three tails, sent three fully grown trees flying towards the black fox.

The black fox, to its credit leapt up at the last second, as the trees took out the perch he had been using, and then began running the length of the center tree, back towards Kiro. As he went the red, the one that had been tossed away, came up behind, darting down the tree to the black's right. Both had four tails, each tipped in blood red, instead of the normal white of a regular woodland fox. Their eyes glowed red as they came closer to the great wolf's muzzle. They each reached out, with paws that seemed to stretch like rubber, out towards Kiro and swatted out, making six long trails of blood across Kiro's nose and face.

Kiro howled, actually howled this time, and then as the foxes got into range he lashed out with both of his front paws and two of his three tails, pinning the two foxes against the ground, causing more craters as the wolf's chakra backed his attack. His two tails formed what appeared to be sharp points and stopped directly above each fox's foreheads, ready to plunge into their skulls should they make anymore movements.

Everything seemed to stop, Kiro making a low, almost guttural purring sound as he pinned the foxes with his paws. The foxes themselves seemed to be making some sort of yipping noise, either chatter or barking, Naruto could not tell in the blur of battle. Kiro had won, from his prospective, but apparently the fox's were not ready to concede defeat.

They appeared to melt into the dirt of the earth below, forcing Kiro to stiffen in shock as the two foxes disappeared in puffs of fur. He snarled loudly and began to dig where they both had been, his paws ripping up large amounts of soil and grass. Finally he stopped and began to search his surroundings, wild green eyes darting around quickly taking note of anything that moved.

Naruto stood absolutely still and too afraid to even breathe as the large demon wolf snarled a couple dozen feet ahead of him. _"Kami," _his mind raced as his eyes, wide themselves, locked onto the wolf he had once known as an easy going patriarch of a small pack of wolves in Grass. _"Is this what demons are capable of, even the smaller ones? Is this why the Yondaime had to do what he did? Is this why he died? You can't do anything to stop that! How could anyone think they could stop that?!" _

"_If this is what 4-Tails can do…what all can the Kyuubi do?" _

Deep inside Naruto felt the answer rumbling in his gut. _**Oh you have no idea….**_

A light touch to his elbow found him jumping away, finally finding the courage to reach for a kunai, not that he thought it would do him any good. He stopped to see Ryo, hand still outreached and frowning as he drew his weapon. "Relax, Kitsune, this is only a test."

"Test? Didn't you say the foxes would just flee?" Naruto couldn't help but snap back in response.

"That is why Kiro came with us, Naruto. They would flee from us, we are human. But Kiro, Kiro is a wolf, he has trespassed and they will seek to defend their dens."

"Freaking awesome isn't it!" Raj was happily watching Kiro from above Naruto and Ryo, his sword still hanging in his grip, still not ready to let it go. "I've not seen Kiro fight since we were little and he and Houkou got into a disagreement."

"Raj…" Ryo reprimanded and once again reached out and pulled Naruto closer to her. He let her arm wrap around his lower arm. "Don't be afraid, this isn't anything. Kiro can handle himself."

"Roki…" Naruto ground out. "Is…is this what….Kiro…they…"

"You have to see this. This is what demons are capable of, yes. This is Kiro. I know you've gotten used to seeing him as nothing more than a patient teacher, but this is his true nature. He is not an alpha because of his patience; he is an alpha because of his power and ability to protect the pack. Kiro won't turn on us, he'd never do that."

Snarls and yips forced the three of them to turn and focus back on the matter at hand. Several beady little eyes peered at the three of them, out from underneath bushes, atop of trees and out in the open snarling at the intruders. Near Kiro, more of the demon foxes came out, the Black and Red coming forward much more slowly than they had before. Kiro snarled for a moment then lowered his hindquarters to the ground and sat regally among the smaller foxes of Fire.

"This is a transgression Wolf-Scum!" the black fox, coal black and with blood red markings. "You have no right to be here."

Kiro snorted heavily. "And you are quick to strike, little rodent. You forget your place…"

"OUR PLACE?!" the fox growled and his fur began to stand on end. "It is the Foxes that hold claim to the Kyuu. Not the pathetic Gobi as your clan claims as head."

Kiro roared at the fox, making a menacing showing of his teeth.

"You have even tainted our territory, bringing the likes of that," the fox tipped his head towards the twins and Naruto. "Into our lands."

That really set off Kiro, as he flew forward and again pinned the fox against the ground, snarling angrily in his face. "You will do good not to insult **my** pups, Rodent."

The fox formed an evil smirk, a slight chuckle growing into a loud laughter as Kiro slowly let the fox back up. "We had heard that the Gobi had lost himself to madness, claiming kin with the likes of humans." He sat back up, again glancing behind the wolf at the three humans. "I see now you lead the whole of your pack into insanity."

Kiro shoved the fox back down into the dirt. "My pack knows strength, better than your Clan. They are of Houkou's line, of Houkou's Eyes."

"And yet the Gobi was still captured by the Demon Hunters." Another evil fox grin.

Instead of Kiro, it was Ryo that lashed out at the insult the black fox tossed out. She snarled, much like a real wolf and stalked forward till she stood just slightly ahead of Kiro. "And where, oh honorable Kitsune is your head of clan? Oh I know …sealed away by an insignificant ninja after the Kyuubi was tricked into attacking the heart of the human Fire."

The smirk of the fox transformed into a frown as he regarded Ryoki. Ryoki would refuse to back down so they stared at one another for what seemed an eternity before the fox began again.

"You certainly act like a wolf, little human girl." He snarled angrily. "But you are confused; you are not of our kind, no matter what the Gobi led you to believe. You forget your place as well."

"I don't pretend to be of your kind, I only wish to return to the way all of our kinds once were." Ryo snarled back. "Perhaps we should take back our peace token."

Naruto came to attention…their peace token?

"What could you possibly have that we would have interest in, Little Wolf?"

Naruto smirked a bit, after so many years; he finally understood where Ryoki's nickname had come from. Years of being likened to the animal probably had led many to come to the same name at different times. He didn't think she appreciated being called 'little' but then again she seemed to use the name wherever they went.

His smirked began to fade as Ryoki started moving towards him again. Her hand snagged his arm, pulled him gently by his elbow till he too was up at Kiro's side, staring down the black fox. "_Hell…" _he thought as it dawned on him that **he** was the peace token.

The fox's head cocked to one side, the blood red eyes with slits seemed to bore through Naruto. Was he supposed to say something? What was the accepted behavior here? Kami, he should have paid more attention to Ryoki and Kiro's teachings about the manners and traditions, bets are he missed something important when things got a little too slow for him.

"What you've brought us a snack?" the black finally sneered, the needle point teeth, vastly different from the heavy knives of a wolf's teeth, bared as he considered the human Ryoki had drug forward.

"Wow, I didn't know foxes were blind as bats." Rajan chuckled from behind them, Kiro turned and snarled at the boy twin, showing he wasn't helping matters with his smart mouth.

"You don't sense it?" Ryoki practically purred as she lifted Naruto's shirt to reveal the now toned and smooth stomach beneath. "Go ahead Naruto; show him what he's obviously missing."

Naruto wasn't quite sure what was being expected of him but he did like he once did in the Chuunin Exams. He delved down far enough to find himself facing the fox's cage and the darkness within it.

"_Oy! You still alive in there?" _he called out to the darkness and was a little surprised when only one solitary eye popped open, just at the cage's bars.

_**Stupid kit. **_The fox snarled. _**Oh. So then, the time has come has it? I suppose they wish some demonstration?**_

"_I suppose that's what they want." _

_**Well the old wolf is right; you have taken one tail on your own with the seal's help. **_A lick of red seeped through the bottom of the bars and moved towards the seal in the center of the cage doors. There at the edge of the seal was a tear, small and only a corner was missing, none of the words or symbols adoring the paper was missing, just a small non-existent tear…

The loud barks of the foxes brought Naruto back to his senses. The black and red foxes in front of him and Ryo had backed up and their hair stood on end. Ryo had released his shirt and Naruto blinked in confusion until he felt the warmth at his back. He turned to see just a solitary red tail, waving back and forth in a slow wag.

"Meet Uzumaki Naruto," Ryoki was pointing out and Naruto's head snapped back up to attention. "The Container of Kyuubi no Yoko."

"The human vessel." The black fox's tone had changed from aggressive to awestruck as he crept forward. After seeing what the demon fox was capable of, Naruto wasn't sure he wanted him that close. He stopped at his feet and looked up, forcing his nose under Naruto's t-shirt again sniffing insistently at his stomach. "The humans know the sacrifice seal."

"So it appears." Kiro rejoined the conversation.

The fox backed away and began yapping loudly behind him. The red fox joined in and the others, the spectators, all began to flee off into the unknown around them. A small golden fox came trotting up from the brush and joined the two already sitting at the head. "We admit our early transgression." The black fox bowed its head. "Our numbers have fallen; we can lose no more kits."

"Next time perhaps you will take the time to study your prey." Kiro admonished. "Foxes are always so brash."

"We are the heads," the black with red markings ignored the jab. "I am Sota."

"I am called Mota," the red fox with black markings spoke up.

"And this is our brother, Kota." The golden three tails bowed its head but did not speak for itself.

"I am Kiro, alpha of the northern pack." Kiro bowed his head to the three foxes. "Rajan, Ryoki, and as we have introduced, Naruto."

"Twins like us." Mota murmured as she circled around to be behind her brother.

"So why have you brought the poor container here?" Sota ignored the mutterings of his sister.

"Kyuubi-sama has agreed to allow me to obtain his tails." Naruto found himself adding to the conversation, even though the adrenaline pumping through his veins was enough to force him to run straight to Rice Country if it meant being away from the situation he was in right now.

The fox eyed him and nodded his head a little but returned his gaze to Kiro. "That does not answer my question; the wolf clans could easily teach you to assimilate tails. All of us know of the Jinchuuriki and the rites of passage."

"True, but who better to teach a fox but another fox?" Kiro snuffed. "Most of my pack is of my line now. Houkou's blood wears thin. Most of us are Earth Elementals. Some of Water, here and there, but as a norm we work with the Earth. We have no experience with Fire, and as a rule of thumb, most Foxes are Fire Based."

The three foxes shared a look then nodded their heads in unison. "And your element, Kyuubi-sama? The one you were born with?"

Naruto wasn't too sure he liked them calling him by the fox's title. He probably should still answer them, though. "Wind."

"Oh I see." Sota was laying down now. "You feared the mixing of his chakras would cause an uncontrollable reaction, one out of your realm of experience."

"Hai, if Houkou were still with us, we would have not bothered with this trial. However, the fox's chakra and the boy's are molding together, and sooner or later he will stumble upon his strength."

"I love how I am being talked about like I'm not even here." Naruto growled a little. This was getting old. All eyes turned to him.

"Would you understand any of it anyway, Sonkei?" Raj slapped him on the shoulder.

"What? No…"

"Exactly. Let the old wolf do the talking, you'll worry about it soon enough."

"You are of Wind Element," Mota, the female of the three foxes spoke up. "Is that correct?"

"Yes…" Naruto nodded.

"Did you grow up with Wolf or with Human?"

"Mostly humans." Ryo added in for him. "They didn't teach him a whole lot, fearing his inhabitant."

"Then you do not know the relations of the elements." Mota bowed her head. "Foxes, especially the Kyuubi, are based in the Fire Element. Wind Elements FEED Fire Elements. Your Chakra and the Fox's Chakra will feed off one another in a way we cannot predict easily."

"Thus we came where there are more who know how to control Fire." Kiro added in.

Naruto looked over to Rajan and Ryoki, now standing together arms crossed and intently listening in on the conversation. "What have you guys dragged me into?"

It was Raj, ever the smart ass, who replied.

"Why, into the Fox's Den, Sonkei."

* * *

"Naruto, get up."

Naruto forced his eyes to open and stared up at the dark shadow of Kiro standing above him. The wolf waited only a moment before turning and walking off into the brush around the den they had been allowed to occupy. Naruto grunted and sat up, watching after the wolf slinking in the night air.

He stretched, stood and began to get his t-shirt that he had tossed aside in the warmer climate for sleep.

"Leave it." Kiro snapped back at him, just as his hand reached the black fabric to his side.

"Oy, what's going on?"

"Just get moving, fox-kit."

Naruto stood and began to tail after the wolf, leading him through the darkened trees around the fox dens. All around him he could hear the little rustlings of the foxes around the area, either eyeing him or running about underfoot.

It was the biggest difference between the wolf pack and the fox clan. The wolves had merely ignored his presence, allowing him to adjust in his own time. The past few days spent in the lands of the fox, had been a constant test of his patience. The foxes were 'following' him, he was sure of it. Ryo and Raj easily ignored the smaller foxes, but to Naruto it was a constant red flag.

They thought he actually **was **the Kyuubi.

And he was right back to four years ago, only this time the attention was more awestruck than hateful.

"Kitsune." Kiro said lowly as he turned around and waited for Naruto to come and stand at his front flank.

"You sure you wanna be calling me that here?" Naruto grinned nervously. "They might take offense."

"Perhaps, perhaps not." Kiro raised his head in direction to indicate their spectators. Naruto didn't even turn around, he knew they were there. "At any rate, tonight we shall begin."

Naruto looked forward and saw the two foxes, Sota and Kota, sitting on two heightened rocks. Each one turned as Kiro and Naruto approached. "Wait…what about Ryoki and Rajan?" he began to question. Why had Kiro only woken him for this?

"They are not needed." Sota answered, leaping down from his perch and stretching out. "They would only distract you."

"Hai, and in the event that the backlash is bigger than expected they won't get hurt." Kiro nodded. "Sit down fox-kit."

Naruto hesitated. For a moment his old survival instincts kicked in and he feared Kiro and the twin 4-Tailed foxes. What if this was a bid to free the fox? Their interests would lie with the demon fox, not with him. From the way he heard it, all of the 'named' tailed demons had been sealed away. That left them without their heads.

But with the 9-Tailed freed….

"Naruto." Kiro stood and moved forward. "Nothing we could do to you would free the fox; it would just mean both of your deaths. The man who sealed the fox did a very good job of it. I would not seek to free the Kitsune at any rate."

Naruto found the words oddly soothing, and did as he was told. The two foxes formed two triangle points from Kiro's own point beside him. "So how exactly does this work?"

"How do you normally come in contact with the Kyuubi?" Kiro laughed. "In your mind yes? Your subconscious self?"

"Hai, that's usually how it happens."

"And what do you see when you are there?"

"Sewers, with water about ankle deep." Naruto frowned thinking about the first time he had 'accidently' stumbled upon the fox. "The fox is kept behind a very large brass cage with a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the doors."

"The last time you and the fox spoke," Kiro drawled on. "Did you see anything different?"

"There was a tear…in the paper."

"The seal weakens then." Mota, the female red fox purred from her spot on the rock. "Then the pathway is clear.

"How this 'works' Naruto, is you tear off another piece of the paper." Kiro started.

"But that…"

"Give me a moment." Kiro interrupted Naruto's would be panic attack. "Not the whole of the paper, not the symbols on the paper, the EDGES of the paper. It will allow some, not all, of the fox's chakra to seep through the seal and give your chakra a chance to integrate it."

"You're sure?"

"Mostly." Kiro shrugged. "That is why we are here."

Naruto frowned and glanced at his bare stomach. At that moment there was no indication there was a seal to be seen, but he knew the moment he began to mold chakra, the black lines would reappear. Hadn't the fox itself asked him on more than one occasion to remove the piece of paper? Hadn't he cursed the seal and lamented at his inability to remove it himself?

He again found himself at the large cage, the brass bars lightly glinting in the sick yellow light of the place. Naruto could see the red chakra of the great demon fox but unlike all of the other times, he remained silent. The blood red eyes did not open and did not turn to focus on him like a predator would prey.

Again he looked up at the paper, slightly yellowed with age, and once again focused on the small tear he had found a few days ago when they had first met up with the three fox siblings. It was on the bottom of the paper, and it was a neat square, just missing from the rest of the parchment. As Kiro had said it was away from any of the symbols that seemed to be written on the paper that formed the seal. Thus the seal was still in place, it was just weakened.

With a shaky hand he reached up and fingered the paper right at the tear. The paper burned at his touch, just at the edge. Naruto withdrew his hand and blinked at the change. Silently he was thankful that he had never been dumb enough all those other times to reach out and touch the cage. He had always been wary of it, and he could see now it had been with good reason.

Again he reached his hand up but this time put his index finger to the right of the tear and began to slowly drag it along the bottom of the seal. He stopped mid-way and pulled back, noting the smoke coming up from the burnt away pieces of paper.

From the bottom of the cage flickers of red began to seep out, like little waves in the water. They met with Naruto's feet and began to wind their way up his body, just like the first time he had demanded the fox pay him rent for staying in his body. It wrapped up around his waist and began to flail like real tails would at his back, along with the one he had already seen when demonstrating to the foxes just who he was.

3-Tails….he had three tails. He had torn too much paper; he probably should only be doing this one at a time. What did this…?

_**By your size and your age you should be a 4-tail. **_One solitary eye popped open and peered at the boy from behind the bars. _**Your chakra alone would be able to support such.**_

"_This is fine." _Naruto snarled in response, still watching the flailing tails. "_I don't know what to do." _

_**You've done it already.**_

Naruto peered up at the fox's eye and noted its dullness. The bright red chakra seemed a little duller, not by much but just enough to note the change.

"Naruto…"

Naruto snapped his eyes open and stared at Kiro, who stood in front of him. The Wolf's posture was relaxed so Naruto felt some ease that the wolf or foxes were snarling or acting as if something was wrong.

"Balance it Naruto."

He glanced behind to see the tails were out in this setting as well. This was definatly not something he wanted or needed to come from all of this.

"If you spread out the chakra, the tails will go away. You are too focused on them right now." Kiro instructed. "Imagine it as a flow, around your chakra points, letting your chakra guide it."

It honestly was like an energy boost. He slowly calmed down enough to start listening to Kiro's instructions and thought about doing as he said. It felt like a shock to his system when he finally felt the chakra move away when he started moving it towards his feet, as if he were going to climb a tree.

It felt like a hot-red liquid being poured down his limbs.

"Okay, stop doing it consciously, Kitsune."

This time the feeling did not return to Naruto's back. It continued to feel like it was running its own course. He risked moving his head to look up at Kiro, whose toothy grin was encouraging. "That's all there is to this?"

"Ahhhh the brash fox returns to us at last." Kiro snorted. "Oh no Kitsune, this is the easy part. You'll start realizing the backlash soon enough."

"What exactly does that mean? You've all warned me about it but what is it specifically"

"Well since the chakra did not go wild when mixed, that possibility is now gone." Kiro laughed. "But there is one we know for certain. Ninja and Demon's alike grow in power through training, ability and of course age. These increases in spiritual/physical powers are gradual. You are stronger now than you were as a child correct?"

"Sure…"

"Well in this particular case we are increasing your spiritual energy before the physical. This new chakra is going to force your chakra coils to expand before they were ready to do so."

"Okay…." Naruto wished sometimes that being a ninja wasn't as complicated as it always was. His head just was not built for the subtle details that Kiro was often spouting out to him. That was Ryo's job, as Raj had said; she was the brains, not him.

"Just go back to the dens. You'll figure it out in a few hours I'm sure." Kiro shook his head and stalked off past the foxes that were also quietly snickering at Naruto's lost expression.

"Ugh," Naruto stood and scratched his head "damn demons and their cryptic answers."

* * *

As day broke that morning Naruto suddenly had a new found understanding of just what Kiro was talking about.

He'd gotten about another two or three hours of sleep before he woke, the feeling of the hot liquid of earlier had solidified and now just felt like one large hot poker being stuck in every joint of his body. He laid now in the cool dirt of the small cave he and Ryo were in with his hands over his head, the tips digging into his skull looking for any kind of relief from the pressure he sure was crushing him to death from the inside.

The cave floor was actually a godsend. The cooler dirt, not ever really exposed to sunlight, felt like a cool compress all over, except he had to keep shifting and moving to find another cool spot in the den. He was going to run out of space sooner or later, though and idly he considered asking where the nearest body of water was. But then every time he shifted himself around it sent signals to his brain to stop doing that. It hurt to breathe, even.

So he laid there, curled up in on himself, trying very hard to move very little, and failing miserably at it.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Ryo asked groggily and sat up nearby. She had opted for the den, unlike Raj who was still outside, apparently unable to sleep in anything but a tree now after having done so for most of his life.

Naruto hadn't even thought of Ryo as he woke in pain and now that he did, he felt guilty for waking her up. Hell, he couldn't even really look at her. When he didn't respond to her either she came forward and touched his shoulder, which was still bare. Naruto flinched, the little hot pokers intensifying at the touch for a few seconds and then finally subsiding back down to the dull ache that was all over.

"Hey you two ever gonna wake up down here?" Raj was poking his head down into the cave, apparently having been up hours ago and ready to be done with the just sitting and waiting game. "Yo, Sonkei, what are you doing?"

"Naruto?" Ryo was questioning again.

"Tails…" was the only thing he could muster up to say to either one of them.

"Oh." Was all he heard them say and then there was a silent shuffle in the small cramped space. Ryo stayed where she was she just merely curled up at his back and wrapped her arms around his waist. At first he winced and hissed in pain but then he realized her arm felt really cold to the touch. And after the initial flare up of pins and needles it actually was quite soothing to feel her skin against his.

He peered up and found Raj curling up against one of the walls of their makeshift home. The bulkier boy brought out his katana, set it to his side and seemed to curl up around his knees in a way that his left hand still curled around the sheathe of the sword.

"Raj…" why in the world was he staying if he knew Naruto and Ryo weren't going anywhere? He could easily be going out to terrify the foxes with what all wolves now knew was Rajan's personality.

"Eh don't worry about it Sonkei." Raj waved half heartedly with his free hand. "Kinda a crappy day out anyway."

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes. The ache was still persistent and throbbing, but it had eased just a little bit and he could barely feel the slipping sensation of falling asleep again, despite the pain. His family would keep an eye out for him. They'd not let anything happen to him and he could rest.

And so he dreamt.

Of sunny days spent running through well traveled dirt roads, on to the well known tower in which the Third Hokage had always been. He would leap up to his favored window and grin like mad, but when he would open his eyes the Third would not be there, just an empty chair and a barren desk.

He fled and returned to the streets of Konoha. He could see people all walking about, those he knew well and some he did not. Those he did, no matter how loud he yelled or how hard he waved, they never really saw him or looked at him.

"_Don't they recognize me? Or do they not want to?"_

The city darkened, thunder rolling over head. Naruto glanced up to the rain clouds as people began to scatter. The nightmare reared its ugly head as villagers began to creep back into the streets with weapons at the ready. As the rain began to pelt the dirt, flinging up dust, they approached him, snarling and pointing out the demon in their midst

Naruto stared at each and every one of them, unable to remember their names or faces, as they appeared as faceless golems, ready to forbid him entry. When the first kunai was flung in his direction he reacted badly and he caught it….with one brightly glowing red tail.

His attackers stepped back and began to really shout and holler for his death. The Demon Fox had finally returned to destroy them all. They had to stop him before he got any further. Their purpose now clear, they advanced more quickly and started swinging fists and weapons towards him… He reacted the only way he knew how, curling up and hiding his head and hoping someone got in a good shot and made it quick….

"Naruto! Wake up!"

He sat up gasping for breath, panting as if he had just been running a long way with the wolves. He was still in the cave, Raj was still sitting a little ways away, but his position looked a little different to him. The teenager's mismatched eyes watched him carefully and with a hint of worry in them.

Behind him Ryo's hands placed themselves on his shoulder blades. He turned to look at her and she smiled faintly as they made eye contact. "Kitsune," she breathed.

"Ookami." He replied back, finally have had found the word for wolf in his arsenal.

"Awww, how sweet." Raj jovially purred in a sticky sweet voice. "Guess that means you're back with us, eh Sonkei?"

Naruto carefully stretched his neck and his shoulders, noting the pain that had plagued him earlier had gone; now he just felt raw. "How long…"

"Day and a half." Raj shrugged. "Not that we think you were really sleeping all that time, you looked like you were having a right rough time with whatever it was."

Naruto hung his head. The lingering nightmare had really lasted that long? It shamed him a little to say it still frightened him; their reaction was predictable. Course he'd been worrying about his 'status' since they set off from Grass. It was no wonder he had such a nightmare.

"At any rate, Kiro said we need to get you moving." Raj stood and stretched, his fingertips hitting the rock ceiling above. "We've been noticed."

"What?"

"That little stunt Kiro and those flea-bitten rodents pulled when we got here? Yeah it kinda attracted some attention from the locals. They in turn called in the reinforcements."

"Ninja from Leaf."

"Yep, I've seen a few of em. Poking their noses in where it doesn't belong. The foxes have taken off, to one of their other den sites…"

"What about all this training Kiro was talking about?" Naruto began to look around for his lost t-shirt, finding it folded neatly at his feet.

"I was going to be doing most of that training," Ryo stood and began shoving things in bags. "You are going to have to learn to reregulate your chakra, so figured ninjutsu would be good to relearn now, but it can wait until we are safe back in the tree. And the foxes did gift us with something for our troubles."

About that time the little golden fox with three tails came trotting down the cave's entrance. He yipped excitedly at Naruto for a moment, nipping at his shirt seams as he curled around Naruto's legs.

"Kota-sama will be coming home with us." Ryo smirked. "He cannot speak like his brothers, but he apparently is very good at hiding techniques, and a few of his brother's neater tricks."

"Think you can take being on the move, Sonkei? Kiro was worried you'd need more time…"

"Kiro is waiting for us at the border of River; he figured his presence was what was making the difference." Ryo was filling in where Raj left out. "He was sure it'd take you at least a week to get your equilibrium back."

"Guess the Kyuubi is going to be helping you out with that as well too." Raj smirked.

Naruto stood and tested his leg muscles and his arms. "Eh, hurts like all hell but not like before. It doesn't feel like a heavy weight. Let's get the hell out of here, I want to go home."

* * *

**Words and Meanings**

**Kitsune** – fox  
**Sonkei** – elder brother  
**Ookami - **wolf  
**Kiro** – crossroads/one's way  
**Kyuubi – **nine, also the name that the Demon Fox is known by  
**Yoko – **beside/width, why when all the other demons are referred to the last part of their name, is the Kitsune referred to as his number, I'm not sure.  
**Gobi** – five  
**Houkou** – the 5 tailed demon dog/wolf, his name can stand for many things including: direction, way, yell, and howl.


	4. A Pack of Three

**The Strength of the Wolf**

Chapter 3:A Pack of Three

Chapter Summary:Stability. It is what one craves most out of life. To know where one is needed and one is wanted and to know what the future holds. In time we all adapt routines and customs that makes are lives more stable and enjoyable. With age comes certain wisdom, and also certain confidence. Many of the Grass Country now knows of the mercenaries living in Grass' most notorious territory. They have begun to recognize the skill and the range of these three shinobi… And they call them the Wolf Pack.

_If you call one wolf, you invite the pack. – Bulgarian Proverb_

_

* * *

_

Uzumaki Naruto had never been one to ponder about the future. In his youth, his days were spent living day to day, mission to mission, looking for a moment's respite. His future, he had been sure then, was to be Hokage. How little he had known. How very naïve he had been.

At twenty-two years of age he now had quite a different view on the world around him. Things he once thought stationary were always in motion. One could not really plan for a future that was not going to be there the next day. Things happened in the day before that change the day to come. One had to live in the moment and enjoy what they could this little journey.

That did not mean one could not always rely on what one had. Knowing what you can do and what you've always done adds a certain element of stability to the randomness that comes with life. To know you can face whatever comes, that in all honesty, was the true prize.

Cautious blue eyes watched the changing of the guard at the border post to Lightning Country. Three wary and worn ninja were being replaced with fresh eyes and ears. Information and the customary traditions and regulations were being traded between something new and something old and the new guards took up their job by starting to do the initial border check.

They had more than missed their chance for an easy, quick passing into the newly allied country to Rain.

A deep baritone howl broke the silence of the early dusk hours and Naruto noted its position and its message. His partner had witnessed something similar to what he had seen here, only further up the border.

"Lightning is getting very cautious." Ryoki's voice sounded above Naruto and he glanced up at his other scouting companion. Her copper-toned braid twitched subconsciously with her chakra, looking for all appearances a tail, and her mismatched eyes never left the scene in front of her. She was locked on to her prey, and there was very little to distract her from her goal.

"Can you really blame them?" Naruto frowned and turned his attention back to the border patrol. "They have openly allied themselves with a country that is making threats."

Naruto chuckled softly when he heard Ryoki's deep exasperated sigh. Ryoki found the Hidden Villages and their countries so frustrating and incompetent. Naruto himself could see how Lightning could have seen such a move as beneficial to their country. An alliance with Rain might mean security whenever the hammer began to fall.

"So what are your thoughts, Kitsune?"

"Well by now our chance for a quick crossing is gone. I think we should wait a little longer. Let them get settled and comfortable in the thought that no one would dare such a crossing illegally." Naruto looked back up to Ryoki and she was nodding down at him. "If we make a break for it now, the previous guard would still be in interception range."

Ryoki took one more look at the three men with Lightning headbands, as if considering the suggestion. She was still the 'leader' of this team of ninja and if she was feeling a bit more adventurous she might just decide to go for the crossing anyway. She then raised her head back and howled in a softer, more feminine tone than the previous that they had heard. The noise had drawn the wary eye of the border guards, but Naruto knew Rajan and Ryoki sounded too much like real wolves. It would be hard to mistake them for humans using howls as signals.

Naruto began leaping through the trees, back towards the rocky area they had set up camp in, and knew Ryoki was only a few ticks behind him.

Naruto had never been one to consider his future, no he lived in the day to day, but he did know his future was with Rajan and Ryoki.

The past ten years of his life were almost dream-like. He had never thought he could be so content in his life without the goal of Hokage hanging over his head, without pressure to prove his worth to everyone he met. But he was happy and he had found the easy-going life of the traveling twins much to his liking, and why wouldn't he have? He had learned more from the likes of demons than he had ever learned from those he had once called family.

He now understood that word, whereas at one time he _thought_ he had understood that concept. Now he knew what it was really like to have a family; one that he lived with every day and every night. He could share his joys and his disappointments and not worry about being rejected or ridiculed. He knew the inner thoughts and desires of his Ryoki and brother Rajan.

And they knew the very same of him. They were inseparable now.

A new blur came up beside Ryoki and he, and Naruto smirked as Rajan met up with them from his own scouting position.

"So we're playing the waiting game?" he pouted a little as they landed at the base of a rocky outcropping just a few miles from the Lightning Border. "What?" He frowned more as both Naruto and Ryoki took meaningful glances at him. "I'm just looking for a little fun and games."

"You are fun and games." Naruto snorted.

"You know if you really are bored you and Naruto could just go at each other for awhile." Ryo began digging through her bags, hidden inside a smaller jagged outcropping in the rocky walls. "It might draw the guards this way and we can double back behind them."

"Please, I know how Naruto fights…he's predictable. I'm in need of a challenge."

"That hurts Raj." Naruto frowned as he fingered the kunai he kept anchored to his belt loop. Granted Raj did have a point, and then again so did Ryo.

"You'll get over it Sonkei." Raj snorted and sat by his own belongings to start sharpening his swords, his favorite hobby to pass the time.

Naruto himself leaned back against a heavy stone, basking in the warm sunlight that was starting to come in full force as the sun rose in the sky. He wondered if this was how the more successful teams of ninja formed up from other countries. Raj was busy with his blades and Ryo was rummaging through her backpack for whatever she had set her mind on. Naruto had a pretty good idea what it was she was after. Lately she had been snacking non-stop whenever they had a break somewhere. She would go out and hunt for hares or other small game, and then squirrel away her food from the ever-ravenous males in her group.

Naruto closed his eyes finally and smiled. This was his three man team, as well as little family, and they were exceptional. At least as he saw it. Sure at first he had been the weak link in this pack, but now he contributed and was valued as a competent and able shinobi. Just like Raj and Ryo were both very skilled ninja, despite their growing up without a family or village. They had accepted him, trained him as they had been trained, and stood by him…despite the organization that chased him.

Too bad for that organization there was very little left of the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit left for them to capture.

Because of his new family, Naruto had begun to learn how to control and assimilate the demon fox's chakra. He now had seven of the nine fox's tails integrated into his own chakra. He had a near-endless supply of the stuff and used it to its full potential by knowing a lot of really big, devastating attacks.

Grass had nearly declared themselves at war with the forest realm to the north during the years Naruto really started getting a handle on the wild demon's chakra. He and Raj, in their spats, would create such a disturbance that they normally could feel it clear in Kuso, in the southern areas of Grass.

"Where's Kota?"

Naruto peeked one eye open to look at Ryo, now standing at his side, her one blue eye and one brown eye scanning the area for the golden three-tailed fox that had become Naruto's very own pet demon. Not that he ever really called Kota a pet that was just how others would see the fox.

"What? Are your reserves running low?" he jabbed at her a little, playfully, and was rewarded with a sharp slap to the side of his head. "That food has to last us till we get outta here Roki."

"Yeah nee-chan, I think if you're trying to finally catch up with me and Naruto, you might have missed the chance on that a few years ago." Raj joined in and Ryo threw her backpack towards Rajan as he laughed.

"Both of you can shove it." She stalked off, making a series of short chirps as she went down the rocks of the area. After a few seconds a golden blur had joined her, propelling down the rock wall from ledge to ledge.

Both men returned to their leisurely activities, silent about their leader's threat.

"So Naruto, how hard do you think the capital is going to be?" Raj, ever restless was asking, a sharp scraping noise coming as he ran the whetstone across his katana's edge.

"Eh, depends on how heightened their security is due to the threats Rain has been making. Last time I heard, with proper papers, people could come and go as they pleased.

"So we should start digging for papers, I guess." Raj sighed heavily and Naruto opened both eyes to glance at him. Raj was movement; this kind of subterfuge did not fit him all too well. He was still good at it, he just preferred something more involved than it.

"We're only supposed to observe their actions, glory hound." Naruto snuffed.

"Then why are we bypassing the border? Why not just dig up the papers now and go the direct route?"

"Because we want to see if, and where, they are stationing extra ninja, if we go through the borders they will keep an eye on us to make sure we head straight for Kumogakure. If we don't they will know we are less than truthful."

Raj seemed content with that answer and set his katana aside. He moved to his kunai, reserves should anything happen to his precious swords, polishing as he went. "I miss the old days when this wasn't so hard."

"What happened to needing a challenge?" Naruto closed his eyes again for his nap. It did seem like a contradiction from Raj's early complaint.

"It seems to me though Grass can't pay enough for this kinda work."

"They paid enough. Anyway, I'm kinda curious as to what they are doing too."

"Oh no…you're curious?" Raj stood and waved his hands theatrically. "We're doomed then!"

"Screw you Raj."

"Sorry Sonkei, it is a well documented fact: if you are curious, we are headed for trouble."

"You like trouble." Ryo startled Raj from behind, her head cocked to the side and her hands on her hips as she glared at her brother. Behind her Kota happily wagged his three tails, a small rabbit hanging in his mouth.

Raj shrugged innocently and sat back down with his weapons. Naruto laughed in earnest and Ryo went about preparing herself some rabbit meat.

Who were they all kidding?

They all liked trouble.

* * *

The next few days were spent testing the patrol's awareness and aptitude to respond to a threat. They would make subtle gestures or throw their chakra around to see the reactions it garnered from the guards stationed at the two passes they decided were best for crossing.

At first they all worried that the patrol guards were overly sensitive to their probes. Any sense of chakra, or if they felt like they were being watched, the guards would split up, one staying put and the others fanning out to inspect the concern. But slowly, as they went, the post which Raj was staking out stopped responding to the little nudges they made.

It was at the end of the week, they decided to do the big test. Naruto sent Kota out into the open, just a quick dart in and out, and watched to see what would happen. The guards made no more than a comment about how odd it was to see a fox in their neck of the woods. They hadn't noticed Kota's odd coloring or his extra tails. This was the pass they would use.

And with the coming storms they could all sense in the air, they decided to use rainfall as cover for their entrance. It was somewhat ironic to all of them, but it was the perfect way in.

"Those bastards won't know what hit 'em." Raj smiled wickedly as he crouched high in the treetops at the edge of the border. Naruto was a few branches ahead, letting the wind catch his slightly shaggy blonde hair.

Ryo was on the ground beneath them, her blue eye turned skyward, an oddly faraway look in her gaze. She was focusing on the rain clouds and she needed to be extremely still to feel the natural energies around her so she would know the moment to call the move.

"Hope they brought rain slicks." Naruto smirked along with Raj, fingering his favorite kunai at his waist.

About that time the clouds let loose a loud roll of thunder. The guards turned their attention to the storm just as the rain came down in a heavy pour. As the first drop the shinobi in the trees, they were off, darting quickly across the landscape and past the scrambling Lightning Nin below who now were desperately seeking shelter.

Ryo was already past the guard and into the territory, having taken her chance to move as the thunder grabbed Lightning's ears. She looked behind her as Naruto and Rajan passed her. She smiled brightly, even though they were being pelted by the hard rains.

They were in.

Raj was setting the pace now, keeping up a steady run and keeping their guard up as they followed along more well beaten paths towards the capital. They were keeping their senses wary for any evidence of trackers or for encampments or buildups of ninja that they could not explain past the border.

Trees blazed by as they shot themselves forward, propelled by chakra and adrenaline. Each foot fall allowed them to go further forward without detection and each time his foot touched bark, Naruto felt it jolt up his bones. It was a tingling sensation, one of which he enjoyed. It meant they were finally starting their mission, and this was what they were meant to do.

It was just as Ryo said, they liked trouble.

The storm broke mid-morning and the trio stopped near a river to rest and dry off. Their soggy clothing was starting to chill them a bit but no one made a comment as they stripped wet away and pulled out dry.

"Only bad thing about that trick," Ryo grumbled as she wrung out her braid and simply put it back in a ponytail at the base of her neck. "I won't be dry for hours yet."

"Then chop it off." Raj goaded her as he pulled on a pair of black gloves with the fingers cut away.

"Screw you Raj." Ryo shot back. "I like my hair long."

"Then you have no reason to complain then." Raj chuckled and ran his gloved hands through his copper spikes, shaking the excess water off, as he leaned over.

Naruto was doing the same thing with his own hair and Ryo was busy getting dressed. As they all finished and resituated their packs, they took in their surroundings. Ahead of them were not forests like they had been darting through. It was now a large plain of grass; the river cutting a neat pathway through the lush green waves.

Their clothing went into the rushing river, swollen with the recent downpour, and was washed away. Hopefully it would cover their presence in the Land of Lightning a little longer. They started off again, barely parting the grasses that reached up to their shoulders, heading north, towards Kumogakure, their final goal.

Naruto was intent on keeping his senses aware and alert to their surroundings as they knew that Rain had a way of perceiving border jumps, even if no enemy ninja was encountered. The fear was Lightning had that same perception available to them.

His ears only heard their footfalls and his nose only met the familiar scents of his comrades and the lingering sweet scent of rain.

And it stayed that way for hours. They would stop every so often, taking note of anything that looked suspicious, or stopped completely when they felt something or someone was too close by. Ryo's hand would scribble quickly in a small notebook she kept tucked in her kunai pouch, the motions she went through, oddly familiar.

Finally when dusk began to fall they found a small glen of trees and set up camp again.

"So far it looks like a normal conflagration to protect the central city." Ryo sighed as she went through her notes, munching happily on dried deer meat she had brought with her. "If they are planning any sort of invasion it doesn't look like it's imminent."

Raj snored loudly to Ryo and Naruto's right. Both sighed and shook their heads at the ability of their brother to fall asleep so quickly. Ryo repacked her notebook and looked up at the stars above. "Really, I think Lightning just wants to protect itself from whatever Rain has in the works."

"It seems that way." Naruto stretched. "Still, never hurts to take their money."

Ryo laughed and scooted over to sit right next to him. Naruto felt the hot blush on his cheeks, despite the cooler weather in this country. Even after so many years, Ryo still had that effect on him.

The relationship he and Ryo had, somewhere along the past six years, had morphed into something completely different. During their time with the foxes, however short it had been, Ryo had begun to be more physical. She would reach out more often to touch him, at first it was playful but then it turned to hugs and her piggybacking when they went places like Dorsa.

She was more protective of him.

And then when the night came that she had taken him by the hand, and led him to 'her' spot at the tree, where Kiro and Kuroi always slept with her, he dumbly followed, not sure about the change in routine. Kiro and Kuroi saw them coming, stood, and moved themselves to Naruto's old spot at the base of the tree. Ryo settled herself in like she always did and then looked up expectantly at him. When he finally found his ground again, he couldn't help but feel somewhat elated.

He had lain down with her, tightening his grip around her waist. _"So Ryo-sama, have you marked me as yours?" He whispered into her hair and felt her arms wrap tightly around his waist. _

"_You were mine long before this Kitsune." She purred. "It was fate Naruto, I believe in that. Fate led us to Gobi no Houkou so that we could survive in this world. Fate led us to you so you could lead us to whatever it that is planned for us." _

"_You seem so sure." Naruto frowned just a little. "What if this is our fate, to travel as we always have? What if this was my fate to find you and Raj so I could finally be happy?" _

"_Then that is our fate." _

Tonight was just like that night; Ryo had curled up beside him, her arm resting protectively atop his chest. Her head rested in the crook of his neck. He breathed in the scent of her and couldn't help by let a content sigh escape his lips.

"You're awfully thoughtful tonight." She whispered into his chin.

"Eh, just thinking Ren'ai."

"For a self-proclaimed idiot, you do that a lot."

"Gotta keep people guessin'."

"Smart ass." She laughed.

"I was taught by the best." Naruto proclaimed proudly, indicating Rajan.

"Thankfully he didn't also teach you how to snore. How can he not hear himself?"

"I think the better question is how we sleep with him doing that?" Naruto frowned over at his brother, spread out like a dead person on the ground, sleeping like a rock.

"I think by now we wouldn't be able to if he stopped." Ryo chuckled.

"True."

"So the plan?"

"Well we're already here; we might as well hit the capitol and see what we can't dig up."

"I agree, just because we can't find them, doesn't mean there's not something going on. Something just doesn't feel right. Those border guards are normally much more lax than that, especially after a week."

"Maybe something is going on?" Naruto tapped his chin, trying to puzzle out the reason for the guard's diligence. "A visitor?"

"Or a rat. Contacts can turn, and we could have been sold out."

"Eh, I don't see that happening with most of our people" Naruto shook his head. That wasn't it. It was something else, he felt something familiar here.

Ryoki yawned and cuddled closer to him. He leaned a little and pecked her lightly on the forehead. He'd let Ryo drift off to sleep and take the first watch of the night. "Go on Ookami, I'll keep watch this time."

And he would. In years past they would easily all be asleep by now. Things were not as tense as they had been getting lately. Rain, the cover for Akatsuki, was becoming more emboldened by their power…their stolen power. They frequently broke borders by just plowing through them, and last he had heard two Uchiha sat upon the starting thrones.

It had been a long time since Naruto had thought about Sasuke. Sasuke had made his choice and he had made his. That was no longer his concern. They had all heard whispers of the defeat of Orochimaru, one of the Sannin of Legend. They had even traveled to Rice just to see, no one had contracted them to do so.

Oto had fallen under Kabuto's jurisdiction after Sasuke up and left the whole country, most likely to search out his wayward brother so that he could kill him. But if the rumors were correct, Sasuke did not kill Itachi. Itachi died from some odd disease. It appeared that Sasuke took his brother's place, but that left a question mark about the second Uchiha.

Luckily the organization hadn't seemed to be able to locate him. From all the rumors and circulations, only one bijuu remained out of Akatsuki's control…and that was his. Even Gaara, the closest thing he had to an ally in another country, had failed to defeat the organization when it came to Suna. He survived the encounter, but he no longer was a Jinchuuriki. He was free from his demons. Leaf had been one of the main reasons for that survival. They had gone to the aid of the Wind Country. The two countries were now the two most powerful aside from Rock. They held tight to their alliance between one another and not much slipped past Fire or Wind.

But the rumors escaped.

And that was what kept him and the twins in business. Rumors started speculation, and speculation bred mistrust. And that was what kept them fed.

* * *

"Get up you lazy bum."

Naruto grunted and opened his eyes to see Raj standing over him, looking absolutely pissed. He snorted and ruffled his own hair. "What?"

"I'm tired of waiting on you to wake up, that's what?" Raj growled. "We've got people to deceive."

"Well sorry for needing a little rest, Mr. Sleeps-Through-Anything." Naruto stretched and noted that Ryo wasn't in the small camp.

"Not my fault you took all the watches."

"Not for a lack of trying to wake your ass." Naruto growled in kind and the two of them launched at one another at the same time, wrestling in the cover of the forest they had camped in. For a moment, Naruto forgot their mission, forgot the doubt that plagued him and he was truly happy to show Raj who was boss.

"Ah-hem."

Both froze mid-tumble and smiled up at Ryo, who stood above them arms crossed across her chest. She wore a kimono in varying shades of blue going from dark to light accents, and her hair was back to being in a tight braid with light blue ribbons interwoven in the strands. Around her neck, Naruto's turquoise necklace, won long ago, fit snuggly around her neck, the gems making a perfect point towards her cleavage and a pair of arm bangles now jingled around her right wrist.

To Naruto she was absolutely gorgeous, but he knew how much dressing up the part of the traveling rich girl pissed her off.

"Well hello Lady Ryoki!" Raj grinned widely at his sister, showing off his teeth. "Are we disturbing your morning routine?"

Ryo growled at him menacingly and Raj was rolling with laughter. Naruto was certain that if Ryo had been graced with ears, they'd be flat against her head right now.

"It doesn't do my part any good if my supposed guards look like they walked in from the lowest rung of society." Ryo threw the matching tops and bottoms to them and their hats. "Get moving already."

"Yes Ma'am!" both of them proclaimed and got ready as they were told.

Today's pace was meant to be much slower and it would be taken on the main trails. As they approached the Village Hidden in the Clouds, Kumogakure, they had to make sure they were seen as nothing more than a traveling Lady and her two guardsmen. So today, they put on their masks and began their leisurely stroll on framed trails.

They passed a few merchant bands, Ryo stopping at a few of them to 'browse' their wares and bought a few foodstuffs. They even got passed by a few faster traveling bands and some Lightning Nin as they went. Each time they schooled themselves not to take much notice of their fellow travelers and continued on in silence.

Because it would not look good for a Lady to be having such casual conversation with her hired help, that was uncalled for. Still they had their own ways to communicate with one another, silent glances and subtle hand signs. Ryo's braid would sometimes twitch one way or the other to indicate that she sensed someone in that particular direction.

Finally they reached the gates of Kumo. It seemed harmless enough, not unlike many of the other Hidden Villages they had seen from afar, but they knew that drawing attention would sound an alarm, not only to the leaders of Lightning but to the leaders of Akatsuki as well.

It was the reason Naruto and Raj wore wide brimmed straw hats that allowed them to conceal the bottom half of their faces if they merely looked down at their feet. Raj did so to hide his eye, which would instantly match him to Ryo and blow the cover. Naruto did so to hide his whisker marks which would really start trouble. He already did so with a slight illusion, taught to him by Ryoki, but the hats made them look like a matched set. Something a Lord's daughter or wife might insist upon.

As they approached the guard stopped them.

"Papers and business please." A tall darkly colored man demanded of Ryo and she stopped to reach up her sleeve. The motion had the guardsmen at the ready instantly. Raj and Naruto responded in kind by moving their hands to their respective weapons, but not unsheathing them.

"Now, now," Ryo admonished the two of them and handed over the papers that denoted her Waban Ryoki from Rice Country. "They are merely doing their job boys. There is no need to be so uptight."

The dark man handed the papers back to his partner who looked them over with a fine tooth comb, taking several glances at Ryo and her guards. As he did the dark man began to question her. "What is your business in Kumo, Lady Waban?"

"I was under the impression that one could come and go from Kumogakure." Ryo frowned at him and waved her arm out to the throngs of people walking around near the gates. "But if you must know I am here to take in some culture." She arched her back slightly and smiled the innocent, rich smile.

The two men glanced at each other then handed Ryo her papers back and waved them on. "Be quick about your sight-seeing, and do not be out after dark, we do not need outsiders causing trouble."

"Oh my." Ryo gasped in somewhat fake shock. "I thank you for the warnings and will be quick about my business."

They walked away after Ryo's grand apology and melted in with the busy afternoon crowd. Ryo played the part well enough of the rich Lord's daughter, ordering her two 'goons' around and asking to see expensive pieces of jewelry and clothing. Naruto could see the slight gleam in her eye and knew part of her enjoyed the attention. He also knew she hated it when she felt restricted, like she did in the billowy, cumbersome kimono she wore. It always seemed to put her on edge.

They spent the day that way, Raj and Naruto following Ryo around the various shops and stands. Naruto had to try so hard not to burst out laughing when one store owner practically begged Ryo to take one of the silky shirts that had caught her eye. It had long flowing arms and a cut in the stomach area that revealed her navel, the deep set green color looked beautiful with her necklace and with the blue-green color of her one blue eye. When the owner saw her in the garment she swore up and down that the piece had been made for Ryoki and that she was happy to give the garment as a gift from one former Rice Countryman to the next.

Ryo picked a prominent hotel near the hub of the Hidden Village and once all three of them were sure of their security, they let the masks drop.

"Did you leave us any money in the 'disguise fund' or did you blow it all?" Raj sighed as he flung himself on the large decorated bed in the middle of the room.

"Bite me Raj; you know we always barter the crap we get on the road once we get out of dodge." Ryo held up a few of the pieces of jewelry and tossed them into her bag. When she came to the green silk top she held it up in the frame of the setting sun out the window and gave it a more thorough inspection. "It has a lot more movement in it, that's for sure."

"You look great in it." Naruto smiled from his position, leaning against the wall next to the doorway. A pillow flew from across the room and hit him with chakra-backed force and he winced.

"That's my sister."

"And you call me brother!" Naruto retorted as he threw the pillow back at Raj.

"Which makes it all the more disturbing." Raj smirked knowingly and Naruto sighed.

"Alright break it up you two. What game do you two want to play for scouting rights cause I know both of you are going to want to." Ryo sat next to her brother's feet at her bed and smirked as the two of them blinked at one another.

"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" Both Naruto and Raj proclaimed, clapping their clenched fists on flattened palms in front of them.

Raj picked Paper and Naruto went Scissors. Naruto snagged his kunai pouch and headed for the window. "Sorry Sonkei. You'll get over it!"

The Village Hidden in the Clouds was not as peaceful as it appeared on the outside, that became evident everywhere Naruto turned. Where once bustling streets had been filled with shoppers and merchants, now were deserted pathways with shinobi patrolling every corner.

Naruto watched from his perch atop a tall building near the Raikage's own personal residence. He was surprised he had not been found yet, with the odd staggering the ninja were taking to their patrols. Then again he was pretty good at masking his presence when he wanted to and Ryoki's training in the ways of Genjutsu had been particularly taxing but worthwhile to learn.

He couldn't help but wonder if the Village had enacted some sort of curfew…because as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, and ducked behind foliage and alleyways, he began to note the absence of night life. Usually in a village this size there would be bars open, drunks stumbling and the undesirables of the village out to prey on those who had let their senses be dulled by drink.

Yet he saw no such establishment, heard no stumbling, slurring individuals, and could not sense anyone other than himself and the shinobi wandering the streets below. The guards had even warned Ryoki to not be out after dark.

It was odd and a bit unsettling.

So he slunk in the shadows as a thief among diamonds, selecting carefully which of the jewels around him had the most worth. Each patrolman he passed had one of two expressions upon their face: utterly dedicated or completely bored. The closer he got to the Raikage's residence, however, the more dedicated ninja he saw.

"_Something more than a visitor I think." _He thought to himself as he neared the final scouting point, the tower itself. He landed just short of the pinnacle of the building and checked to see if he had been noticed by anyone and found most of the guards continuing their set paths.

He began to look around for clues as to where meetings were held and finally settled on a small window near the middle of the base, where flickering lights could still be seen.

"_They don't want to draw attention but it is the only room being lit right now…I think they are as dumb as Ryo thinks." _Naruto smirked as he quietly maneuvered towards that window and then positioned himself above it. "Fox Art: Cloak of the Wind." He whispered while forming the dragon hand seal. If anyone had been watching him, he would have seemed to melt into the thin air around him.

Demon Foxes were known for two things, their ability to hide and their ability to charm. Kota had come back to Grass with Naruto and the twins when Leaf became too interested in all the activity in a seemingly quiet corner of Fire. Kota had related most of his training through Ryo or Kiro and slowly he had begun to pick up more of the fox's skills. This one in particular was his favorite, as it only required the one hand sign and it was virtually undetectable unless someone was right beside you and they could hear you.

His illusion in place Naruto began to listen, hard, with ears not quite his own yet, and finally caught the hushed tones and hurried voices below.

"We will give you what ninja we can, but must retain enough to protect ourselves." A male voice, Naruto assumed belonged to the Raikage, proclaimed. "With your continued accusations and boasts many have begun to turn their attention towards us and our movements."

"You will give us the number we requested, Raikage-sama, no less. If we are to force the other countries into believing our numbers have risen we will need more than a handful of your Chunin. We are all but ready to begin our initial attack but we need to portray a stronger force."

"When you begin these attacks; who will protect us from the backlash if you have all our ninja?" The Raikage was addressing the quiet female voice. "There are still many countries out there that will surely see your acquisition of Grass as hostile and move to neutralize you and they tend to lump Lightning and Rain together."

"The only threat to our plans is Konoha and Suna, they are the only strong alliance left among the Great Nations and they both can be preoccupied."

"Oh really?"

"The Fourth Great War is coming, Raikage-sama. Nations mistrust each other…even Konoha and Suna have doubts in one another. You may wish to choose your side carefully before you make an error."

"And if I choose to ally with only myself and my people?"

"Then you will be counted among those we conquer."

Naruto heard the sound of footsteps and he froze, not daring to breathe as long as another ninja was passing below him. The steps became fainter followed by a loud slamming door. He heard the weary sigh of the Kage and his barked orders to a subordinate.

Naruto stood and leapt back across the way he had come, back to the hotel. They had to go, they had to go now. Grass had been right to be wary about the threat Rain posed to them. He sped along, barely pausing longer than a second as he rushed back to Raj and Ryo.

As he landed in the darkened room he heard Raj's loud snoring. He flicked on a light and was met with a kunai pressed to his neck. For a moment he stood absolutely still then relaxed as the weapon was drawn away.

"Damn it Kitsune! You know better than to startle me!" Ryo was quietly yelling at him.

"Sorry Roki." He apologized and bowed his head. "I just think we need to get ready to leave."

"Why? What did you see?"

"More of what I heard." He rubbed his head and looked sheepishly over at Raj still snoring away. "Rain wishes to assault Grass."

"What? Wait they don't have the numbers for that! Even if they succeeded they would be vulnerable."

"That's why they are threatening Lightning. Lightning has the numbers, and Rain has some secret up their sleeve."

"Great, just great. We get hired for simple recon and uncover an invasion plot." Ryo grumbled as she pulled out her gear and began strapping on her kunai pouch and armor. "Raj!" she barked and the male twin shot up with his katana in his hand ready to behead whatever intruder had come upon them. When he saw only them he cocked his head to the side and implored them with his eyes.

"Get ready brother," Naruto clasped him on the shoulder. "We're about to get all the fun and games we can get."

"That doesn't sound as fun the way you just said it." Raj frowned as he too readied himself. "Are you sure you want to leave now? Won't the guard be a little suspicious if Lady Waban doesn't exit the way she came?"

"At this point, who cares?" Naruto frowned. "We need to warn Kuso."

"Why?"

That stopped all movement as Raj's innocent question finally triggered another in Naruto and Ryo.

"Wait, he has a point. Why Grass?"

"It's next door; it could be a planned attempt to see if they are ready." Naruto sat on the bed, folding his legs underneath of him. "Or it could be a part to separate the big countries."

"That's true," Ryo began to ponder. "But why not go the other way? Why not take River, who has no force of their own, and separate Konoha and Suna? That would be the more logical target."

"Not if they want add to their numbers." Raj added in.

"No, most shinobi allied with hidden villages won't turn that easily. They'd have to kill them to keep a hold on the village. They'd lose people in doing that so again, why Grass?"

"Shit…" Naruto finally growled. "There's something in Grass they want."

"What could Grass possibly have that would interest anyone?" Raj snorted. He was positioning himself near the window, keeping his eyes wary for anyone that might have followed Naruto.

"There's only one thing there that would be of any interest to them…" Ryo was trailing off, her eyes steady on Naruto.

"Me." Naruto whispered into the darkness.

All three stared at one another, the true nature of this invasion now very clear to them all. Lightning was not an ally; they were a means to an end for Rain. The very dull threat that Akatsuki had always presented now flared up into a fully fledged problem.

"Well fuck Kuso." Raj finally stood in the window frame, looking out to the deserted streets. "We need to warn Kiro and the Pack…we need to go home."

"Then let's go." Ryo also started out a window, not even bothering with any illusions or precautions. Her home was being threatened…again…she would waste no time to return there and warn the pack of demon wolves she considered family. Naruto didn't blame her; this was not something to take lightly. If they were correct, they all were in danger. Akatsuki had finally decided to complete their collection of bijuu…even if there was no bijuu to collect they would come and they would destroy whatever sat in their way.

Naruto's past had finally caught up to him.

* * *

"This is very troubling." Kiro remarked from the circle of wolves now gathered around the great tree that once was the sleeping place of Gobi no Houkou, the 5-Tailed Demon Wolf.

Once the twins and Naruto had returned, running non-stop for days and nights to return to their sanctuary in the grasslands, they had warned Kiro. Kiro in turn had begun gathering up the whole of his pack, something that was very rare to see. Even rarer was the golden fox that sat among the wolves.

All around them a good thirty to forty wolves sat or lay around Kiro and his mate, Kuroi. Tails and Chakra were in abundance as the congregation of the Pack began to discuss the information the three humans of the pack had stumbled upon during their time away.

"If the Black Cloaks are indeed the guiding force behind this coming invasion, and their true purpose is to come here, then we must decide what our course of action should be." Kiro continued. "Last those with Red Clouds upon their Black Cloaks came to these lands they took from us our leader, our father, and our sibling, Houkou. This time they try to take from us our fox-brother."

Naruto bowed his head, knowing to be called 'brother' by Kiro was a very high honor.

"Last we stayed and fought." Kiro stood and pointed his nose upwards towards a mark in the tree's bark, one Naruto always chalked up to age and the natural split of the wood. "And we paid dearly for our troubles. This time we have more options available to us…."

"We can't leave the tree." Ryoki stammered out, standing from her position around Kiro and Kuroi. "We can't leave our home…"

Kiro turned to her, the old green eyes focusing on the human woman with intensity. "Ryoki-sama, you saw the damage we took from those who came here…"

"We were unprepared. We did not know they were coming last time." Ryoki argued. "And we are twice as strong as we were then. This is our home; we cannot just let them have it."

"And who's to say they would not just follow us." Naruto found himself arguing with Ryoki. He knew what the tree meant to Ryoki, to Rajan, and he would not make them leave it just because of him. "We may leave and find other places, but they will just find us and follow us there."

Kiro turned to face Naruto now, the large wolf, taller than he and with now four swishing tails behind him, stepped forward until they were eye to eye with one another. They stared like that for a while before the slightest glint of admiration passed through the deep green eyes and Kiro bowed his head.

"You have a point, Kitsune. If we flee they will follow. You are the last prize they seek. So our thoughts now turn to how we defend ourselves against an ally we have not seen for over a decade."

At this prospect the silent demon wolves around them began to snarl and bare their fangs. Tails grew larger and swished in an aggressive fashion. Rajan also seemed to get an evil glint in his eye as he wrapped his hands around his sword hilts. Kiro held his own version of a lupine smile as he turned again to Naruto. "You have your answer Kitsune."

The howling began, as the demon wolves almost seemed to celebrate this decision. It was most likely a joyous feeling that they would be getting revenge for the death of their former pack leader, Houkou, but in a sense Naruto felt it was also in contention with a feeling of pride. They were proud that the humans of the pack had decided to defend rather than flee.

"You have come into your own right Kitsune." Kiro remarked as he began to walk past Naruto, into the throngs of his fellow wolves. "Ryoki chose correctly when she chose in you."

Naruto blushed like mad, watching after the older wolf as he moved away, not really able to melt away into the sea of brown, black and gray because of his coloring. The demon wolves began to follow him, barking and snarling at one another, jockeying for position nearby the Alpha Male. A few stayed behind, lying together or play fighting around the tree. They were the youngest of the pack, but still older, most likely, than the three humans left behind.

Surprisingly Kuroi stayed behind. She sat at Ryoki's side, taking in Naruto as if he was a different person standing before her. The graceful old black wolf still was only three tails, with striking blue eyes, and she still remained one of Naruto's favorites.

"If this is the plan we are choosing," Kuroi drawled on slowly, as she leaned down to sniff at Kota, curled up at her front paws. "I would suggest our little human pups stock up on supplies while they still can."

Naruto raised his eyebrows. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind about Dorsa or needing to stock up. They had always just gone to the border post city whenever they had pressing need and was always welcomed. Things changed, however, when war was guiding people's decisions.

"I would also suggest letting your employer know as well." Kuroi stood and stretched, leaving Kota at Ryoki's side instead. "Perhaps if Grass is properly warned, it will be much harder for the invading pack to slaughter it."

"Kuroi has a point." Ryo sighed; some of the tension in her shoulders seemed to loosen. "We should head to Dorsa. And if Owashi's contact is still there, we can sound the alarm."

"Yeah I highly doubt Owashi would let this information sit a while. If Grass falls his little estate might as well." Raj snorted a bit of laughter. "Couldn't be having that."

"Okay then." Naruto nodded. "Tomorrow then?"

"I think tonight." Ryo conceded. "If we were fast enough, Owashi's little kept pet might still be there and we won't have to make the trip to the estate."

Kuroi turned her massive head until it rested on Ryo's shoulder, right next to her ear. The demon wolf snarled something lowly in that tongue only Raj and Ryo seemed to be able to understand. Ryo's eyes went downward, towards her feet, before flitting back up to the sideways glance of the black wolf.

Kuroi merely nodded her head and stalked off into the darkness of the waiting forest. Ryo watched her go before reaching down to pat Kota between his black ears and grabbing for her backpack.

"What was that all about?" Raj inquired, also picking up his pack, but waiting for Ryo to pass him.

"Nothing."

"Sure didn't look like a 'nothing'." Raj began to push a little. Naruto agreed, whatever had been said between the two females had definitely had some importance because Ryo had reacted as she had.

"Drop it." She growled angrily and began to stalk off in the direction of the paths that led to Dorsa.

Naruto and Raj shared a look. Both held the same concern and curiosity about what had been said between wolf and woman, but both knew that tone. It was the 'back off or I'll make you back off' tone and Ryo was downright scary when she used it.

What could have set her off? The looming threat that now overshadowed their movements? Or was the fact that Kiro had even mentioned the idea of finding a new sanctuary for the pack? Ryo was extremely protective of the tree, but they hadn't thought she was that protective of it.

Still they knew better than to keep Ryo waiting and both men took off after her, Kota on their heels chirping excitedly after them.

Though Naruto was never able to pick up on the language of the demons that could, or did not speak, he was starting to be able to read more into their body language and just the way that they formed words, the tones of their growls and snarls. He was slowly starting to understand and more than once he found that Ryoki or Rajan did not have to translate to him just what it was that had been said.

And Kota's actions said it clearer than day to him. To Naruto it almost sounded like a positive and loud:

"Hey! Wait for me!!"

Dorsa was like a ghost town when the three finally arrived. Some of the bars and restaurants were still open, serving the locals that waited for the tourist activity to slip away to the inns to sleep. It was kind of odd to not see the bustling activity on the main streets or to see shopkeepers sweeping and arranging their wares.

Naruto and Raj followed closely behind Ryoki as she stalked to one of the bars went in and sat down purposefully in one of the booths to the back. It was a signal to those who knew her and those who had been instructed by those who knew, that Ryo was now in the mindset to take offers or to talk to those who had come to find the Wolf Pack.

Raj and he did as they always did, sitting down at the bar just a little bit away from Ryo but close enough to react if someone tried anything. Tonight they were hoping that the Owashi contact man was still present and still watching the bar for Ryo's return. And to their great surprise, a squirrely looking man with green and gold clothing came scurrying up to sit on the other side of the table. He smiled widely at Ryoki before putting a purse between the two of them.

"My Master said you were a fast informant, Lady Ryoki, I had no idea you would be done quite so quickly." He jumbled through the words a bit. Naruto almost thought he was drunk, but it was too hard to tell from his and Raj's position.

"We pride ourselves in knowing when what we have is enough." Ryo replied and leaned in a little further, garnering a mirrored move from the thin man. "But your Lord may not like what we have found this time. There were meetings in Kumo, a pact made between Kumo and Ame had been brokered."

"That, that is concerning."

"The two plan on taking Grass as their own." Ryo cut the man off.

"It was just as Lord Owashi feared!!" the man stood straight up, his voice becoming a bit too loud.

Raj and Naruto stood but quickly reseated when they saw Ryo's hand quickly reach out, grab the loose fitting collar of the man's green shirt, and yanked hard downwards. The man's chin landed harshly on Ryo's knuckles as her hand hit the table and despite the loud 'thud' the motion made, very few turned to look.

"Keep it down you baka!" she practically snarled at the man now cowering in her presence. "You must relate this information to your lord immediately, do you understand that? This is no longer about his information bartering with Kuso and Daimyo. This is now about the fate of the whole country."

"Of…of course Lady Ryoki. I understand." The man stammered then shoved the money that had been asked for beforehand. Ryo reached out to take it just as the man scurried off, most likely to find the fastest way home.

They all watched him go, Ryo snarling still at the outburst the man had gone through. The last thing they needed in a border town was to spread the rumor of invasion. It would either invite it to them or cause a panic. Either option was not to their liking.

Raj and Naruto joined Ryoki at her table, bringing their drinks with them. "That could've gone better." Raj was frowning.

"I swear, if we had the time I'd personally tell Lord Owashi how to pick better messengers. They shouldn't be so touchy."

"I agree, but that's not really what important now." Naruto shrugged and down the sake he had ordered. Before he could refill his dish, Ryo's hand snaked out and snagged it and the bottle from her brother. "So we'll have to wait till morning to do our stocking up. What should we stock up on?"

"Scrolls, weapons, tags, clothes…things like that I would hope." Ryo murmured as she scanned the rest of the bar. "Whatever food we think we want and can keep outside of course."

"That's a lot of stuff to be dragging back to the tree" Raj was frowning and stealing back the bottle of spirits.

"Can't handle it Sonkei?"

"Oh I can handle it Kitsune." Raj used Ryo's nickname for Naruto to show his annoyance. "The question is can you?"

"Oh? I do believe I have the bigger pool of reserves…not to mention I can create clones."

"Damn you and your little ninja tricks."

"That will come in handy." Ryo sighed heavily, laying her head on her arms as she stared blankly into the chest of Naruto and her brother, just across the table.

"Maybe all we should think about is rest." Naruto offered up. "We just ran here from Lightning… we're all burning the ends of our wicks and none of us will be dragging anything back to the tree if we can't move."

"Another good point." Raj raised his sake dish in an odd cheers motion then downed it. "And I say we get good and drunk while we're here. Who knows what's around the corner."

Ryo merely sighed at Raj and laid her head back against the tall wall separating some of the booths. Naruto shrugged, took back his own dish and cheered with Raj before downing more of the alcohol. There were three prohibitions for shinobi…at least told by an old Toad Hermit who had once taught him…they were Money, Women, and Alcohol.

Money was never a problem, most of what they spent was for essentials and they could always find more work if they ran out. Women, well for him there was only one so that too was no brainer. Raj had more of a problem with that than him. The Alcohol was only necessity because they all were so stressed and worn. Too keyed up to sleep but tired enough to know they should. Normally he hated the taste of sake or stronger liquors. Tonight though, he needed it to calm his nerves and in part to keep up with Raj.

Anyway….who said they were shinobi?

* * *

The next morning all three of them woke to the early dusk and set out to scan the local shops for what they each thought they needed. Mostly clothing and weapons but there were a few food items they could get that would keep under the harsh conditions out in the wild. Naruto even wondered if he could find some shop that sold soldier pills. As a border town enough ninja crossed through, but perhaps the locals did not want to be bolstering some hapless ninja's energy.

"I will meet back up with you two at the inn." Ryo said suddenly, her focus down one of the side streets off the main pavilion.

"What? Are you joking?" Raj shot back at her.

Ryo merely walked away from them, no more explanation than what she had given. Naruto watched her go, frowning as he did. This odd mood Ryo had been in was starting to be something to be concerned about. Both he and Raj had no idea what had led to it, so neither one of them could really apologize or make up for what they did not know they had done.

"Honestly, what did you do to piss her off Sonkei?"

"I don't know…I wish I did." Naruto scratched nervously at his neck. "Something's just been off with her lately. Maybe it's all this Akatsuki business…"

"I don't think so; she'd started acting weird before we left for Lightning." Raj stopped at a bookstore front, something caught his eye. Naruto was still watching the street Ryo had ducked down. "And it was either you or me pal, I dunno which."

"You're usually more annoying." Naruto grinned a little turning to face Raj. "What the hell????"

In Raj's hands was a little green book. On the front cover it read Make-Out Tactics. Naruto was sure his eyes were wide enough to be plates as he watched his 'brother' flip through the pages of the perverted little book.

"Oy! Sonkei, I think I just found motivation to read."

"Kami, not you too…Please not you too."

"What?"

"Nothing, just…let's hurry this up." Naruto rubbed at his nose. It was either the hangover or the actions of Rajan that suddenly made his head start pounding. He really hoped it was the hangover, because he could fix the hangover. Rajan was forever….

Between the pair of them Naruto did not think they did too badly. Raj, after his initial impulse purchase, had focused intently on getting the weapons fixed and replaced. He knew most of the craftsmen in town by name now. Naruto found himself more concerned with clothing and food, sure that if something did happen winter would be the hardest months to go through without going into a town.

They bartered and shopped around their favorite places, talking to a few of their contacts as they saw them. It was from Taja, a Waterfall Ninja who was now mercenary, that they heard something even more shocking.

"Oy, there you two are…where's Ryoki?"

"Out." Raj motioned around them. "What's up?"

"Figured you'd all be interested in this." Taja motioned for them to step closer. "That organization you all like to keep tabs on? Akatsuki I think their names are. Anyway, they were in Lightning about a week ago…"

Naruto and Raj nodded in unison, urging Taja to go on. They already knew this particular part of the story, but if she continued on to relate the rest of what they knew, it meant trouble. If Taja already knew about the plot by Rain to gain Grass, it meant that Owashi's little messenger had blabbed. That would not sit well with Ryoki.

"Well while they were in Lightning, they attacked the Raikage's brother. Even kidnapped him."

"Wait what?" Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why in the world would Rain do such a thing if they wanted Lightning to side with them?

"Oy, yeah, it's a huge thing right now. From what is going around, the Raikage called for a special meetin', one of all five kage's."

"They can do that?" Raj leaned against a building wall and cocked his head to the side to get a good look around them.

"Apparently so, I mean I thought most those Kage's didn't like one another, but I guess if someone's making enough noise to be a bother to all five of the elite nations they might try to squash it down a bit." Taja waved her hand and started walking away. "Thought you fellas might like to know about it though."

"Thanks Taja!" Raj waved goodbye to her then turned all his attention on Naruto. "What the hell do you suppose that means?"

"They wouldn't take anyone unless they were a Jinchuuriki. But the rumors were that I was the only one left."

"Right, that's what's confusing. And yet they attacked the Raikage's brother? What would the point have been?"

"So the alliance was a cover to get in." Naruto mumbled. "They were missing two bijuu…not just one."

"Wonder which one he was?"

"We don't have any way to know for sure. But this might be a good thing. Remember when we heard about the Ichibi? When they captured Shukaku and drained him from the Kazekage of Suna they just went dead afterwards."

"Oy, yeah it was like they dropped off the face of the earth. So what?"

"So that means that whatever they do to the jinchuuriki takes a lot out of them. How old did you guys say you were when they came after Houkou?"

"We were about ten I think…."

"Exactly! I did not have my first run in with them until I was twelve. Three years after that they went for Gaara. They're going into hiding after they capture a bijuu."

"Then that means…" Raj trailed off.

"We still have time. It may be years before they think of going after me. They went to Lightning to try to garner a truce and it was their cover. They just wanted in to grab the bijuu of the Raikage's brother."

Naruto and Raj immediately began to search for Ryoki. They returned to the street she had originally gone down, but couldn't seem to catch up to where she went. They asked the favorite hangout of the trio and the favorite restaurants, but still no sight of the wayward twin sister.

"I wonder what she's up to." Raj muttered to himself but Naruto heard the underlying worry in the twin's voice. Honestly he was starting to get worried himself.

Ryo had bad days sure, they all did, but something about this change in moods had been all too sudden for them. Usually there was a reason, a trigger, that would explain the foul mood but this time there did not seem to be one. Nothing he or Raj had done in the past few weeks was anything for Ryo to go off on her own like this to get a break.

So where was she?

"Let's go back to the room. Maybe she's already there." Raj had deflated a little. Whatever joy they had at finding out about the Kage's and Lightning's brush with Rain, was now greatly diminished.

But Ryoki was not there either. The two of them sat around the room, trying to busy themselves to keep from wandering the streets again. If Ryo wanted to be left alone, that was what Ryo wanted. It did not keep them from constantly looking to the windows or the door when they heard footsteps and voices.

The sun began to set outside, a full day come and gone and there still was no sign of Ryoki. Rajan now sat in the windowsill his katana hugged to his chest. Naruto sat on the larger of the two beds and nervously picked at the kunai on his belt loop. Bags had already been packed, provisions had already been made, hell they even worked out more about the Lightning fiasco they had heard about from Taja.

Lightning had been the home of one confirmed tailed beast before this. The Nibi or Nekomata, The Two-Tailed Cat demon was known to have full control of her demon and was a valued and respected member of the Lightning Ninja ranks. She had been taken when she was out on a mission, or so the rumor mills would say.

So it had to be, if Lightning had indeed been in possession of two jinchuuriki that after losing one, they would have fiercely guarded their second…especially being the Raikage's flesh and blood. Akatsuki would have had a hard time reaching the jinchuuriki and Lightning would have been extremely tight-lipped about the presence of yet another demon container in their country.

"Maybe we should go out again?" Raj was finally conceding as darkness set in. "Maybe something happened to her…"

"She would have howled Rajan." Naruto frowned and lay back in the bed, arms crossed and used as pillows behind his head. "She would have let us know."

"Still, this isn't like her Sonkei. She's never gone this long."

The door creaked open slowly and Ryo stepped into the darkened room. Raj jumped up from the windowsill and started walking towards her. Naruto sat up, hanging on the end of the bed, watching as Ryoki stalked inside.

"Where the hell have you been?" Raj jumped in on her. He waved his hands out to the darkened skies. "Me and Sonkei have been worried…"

Raj trailed off as Ryo merely walked past him, sat herself on the bed and buried her head in Naruto's back, her hands reaching up to grip onto the tan fabric of his sweater. Naruto himself had frozen the moment Ryo had come into the dim lights so he could see her. He knew something was wrong right away.

Her hair was down, forming a cloak around her shoulders and body.

"_Her hair is never down. It's always in a braid or a ponytail. Why is her hair down? Why is she moving like that? What happened? Did something happen?" _Naruto's mind raced as he glanced back at the faraway glaze in her eyes. She wasn't even paying any attention to them; it was like she was in her own little world.

"Aneue?" Raj's voice quieted to a bare whisper as he too watched Ryo, clutching to Naruto like she was hurt. Naruto had never heard Raj call Ryo 'sister' and was now even more concerned.

"Ren'ai?" he quietly added to the queries Ryo was filtering out of her perception.

They were all silent, Ryo ignoring them both. Naruto felt something hot and wet beginning to soak through the fabric of his shirt and he focused more on Ryo's eyes. She was crying…not openly or sobbing, no, but tears were leaking their way from her half closed lids and silently falling onto Naruto's shirt and sweater.

Why was she crying? Naruto had never seen Ryo cry before, ever. He turned back to Raj, his eyes pleading with his brother to help him explain what it was he was seeing. Raj seemed just as flabbergasted as he was because he came up to the foot of the bed and crouched down on the balls of his feet and rested his hands on the edge of the bed, his chin resting atop of them. His eyes were focused on only Ryoki and even his sword had been forgotten, dropped to the floor in an instant.

"Aneue? What is it? Why are you crying?" Rajan began to coo softly to her. His tone had taken on such a sweet and comforting effectiveness that Naruto even felt some of his tension ease. "Did someone hurt you? Should me and Naruto go out and crack skulls?"

"No…"

Oh that was good! Rajan at least had gotten her to speak. A ghost of a frown crossed her face as she focused now on her brother. At least now she seemed aware of where she was, not just staring out into nothingness.

"Then what is it? What has caused you such pain?"

"I'm not hurt…" she whispered and Naruto felt her arms wrap around his chest. He reached up with both hands and grabbed on to her arms, squeezing lightly and turning his head so he could see her once more. "I'm scared…"

Both Raj and Naruto sat up a little straighter. This was unsettling to both men. Ryo was the rock in their vagabond pack. She was always calm, collected, and in control. Ryo always met any challenge they faced head on without any fears or reservations. She knew what all three of them were capable of; she knew what to do at all times.

"Roki, don't be…" Naruto began to soothe. "Akatsuki might not even be coming this soon, Raj and I ran into Taja they were after Lightning's other Bijuu…one we didn't….

"That's not it." Her voice raised and she hid her face from both Naruto and Rajan. "That's not it at all."

She mumbled something into Naruto's back, her voice somewhat resonating in his bones. Rajan cocked his head to the side and scratches his head. "What did you say?"

Naruto went stiff. He had heard her. He didn't know if she had purposefully used some sort of chakra trick to get him to hear it and not Rajan but he heard what she whispered into his back. And she was right. It was terrifying. He turned to face the doorway to their room and felt his grip tighten around her arms. Was she serious?

"I never thought, I never even guessed." She began to babble. "I didn't think ahead, I didn't plan, why didn't I think of this?"

She pushed herself away from Naruto; her palms now flat on his back. "Why didn't I think of this Naruto? Why??"

"What is going on? What didn't you think of?" Raj pushed back a bit and balanced on the balls of his feet.

"Neither one of us did Roki." Naruto ignored Rajan as well. "I guess we never thought…."

"But…" Ryo stopped and withdrew completely, hugging her knees up to her chest in the middle of the king size bed. "But why now? Why is this happening now?"

Naruto turned to face her, noting just how scared she was. "I guess… I guess it just was supposed to happen now." He tried his best to comfort her. "There's nothing we can do about it, and really it's supposed to be a good thing…"

"What the hell do we know about children?" Ryo finally snapped at him. Her outburst made Raj fall back and he landed unceremoniously on his ass, mouth agape and eyes wide. "What could we possibly know about raising a pup? You never had parents; Raj and I were raised by wolves! We don't know anything about this Naruto!"

"Shit! Holy Shit!" Rajan was muttering wildly behind them.

"You're right." Naruto calmly reached out and grabbed hold of Ryo's hands. Sure he was terrified by what she had just told him, she was pregnant, that's why she had been so damned hungry all the sudden, it was why her moods had swung in such a violent manner, it was why Kuroi had taken up to protecting the woman while she was in the presence of other wolves. All the oddities that Naruto and Rajan had been picking up on made sense now.

"But we know what not to do right?" he laughed a little trying to ease her fears. "And we have Kuroi, she knows what to do. We know enough of the shopkeepers around Dorsa, they have children right?"

"This is too soon. There's Rain and Lightning and Akatsuki…we …we would be risking so much. What if something happens to us…?"

"That's what me and Raj were trying to tell you. The rumors were off. Rain was in Lightning capturing a bijuu, using peace as a cover. It takes them a few years to recover after draining a bijuu Roki. We have time to figure this out. We can figure this out hai?"

Ryo sniffed a little staring right back into Naruto's blue eyes. She did not seem quite convinced yet but she was listening now.

"Sonkei's right Aneue!" Raj bounced back up quicker than Naruto thought he would. "This isn't anything! We've faced lots worse than this."

"Exactly." Naruto agreed.

"You're not scared?" She questioned him.

"Sure I am." Naruto grinned widely at her. "Terrified actually, but that doesn't mean I'm not happy about it Ren'ai. This is just something new to learn hai?"

Ryo actually laughed at that and flung herself at Naruto, letting him crush her in a huge hug. "I guess it pays to have a brash fox with you…" she sniffed through some slightly happier tears. "Never too much for you, eh Kitsune?"

"Nope." Naruto beamed. "Never. Now what do you say we go to sleep. I'm tired, you're tired, Raj can keep watch." He felt the fist that Raj threw at his back as Raj went past him. "And tomorrow we can go home."

Ryo nodded and they laid back into the soft comfort of the bed. Raj retook his position at the window, though Naruto was certain he was going to be asleep before any of them were. Ryo snuggled in close to him and he kept a protective grip around her shoulders, petting her long silky hair as she closed her eyes.

"You know something Ren'ai." He whispered into the darkness. "I really like your hair down…"

"Don't get used to it, Kitsune."

"Ah, there's the Roki we know and love."

* * *

They returned home to the great tree the next day, some of Naruto's shadow clones hauling the heavier things and the three of them lugging only their backpacks. It saddened Naruto to be using himself as mules but it seemed more practical.

The clones set the bags and totes near the base of the tree before puffing away into nothingness. Raj went about sorting through their belongings and watched as Ryo, still a little too silent for either of their tastes, sought out Kuroi lying in the afternoon sun.

Another lazy day at the tree…who knew how many more of these they were going to get? He did not fault Ryoki for taking the opportunity. Course as he saw her burying her head in the thick mass of black fur he felt somewhat guilty and sad as well. Ryoki still was not ready to face this challenge with her usual confidence. She had been shaken a little far and it would take time to reassure her.

But he had something else on his mind. Spending most of last night watching the twins sleeping, he had begun to mull over in his head just exactly they were going to do. There were a lot of things to consider now. Akatsuki could still be coming. Rumors were rumors and if the rumor about him being the only Jinchuuriki left had been wrong, it was possible that the rumor about the Raikage's brother had also been untrue. It no longer was just about Rajan, Ryoki and He. There was another entity to consider and for the time being that entity resided in Ryoki so her protection came first.

When the child was born, where would they stay? During the summer and spring months it wouldn't be too farfetched for them just to do as always and stay at the tree. But there were some years when the winter and fall months got a little bitter and there was snow and cold. What then? Ryoki and Rajan had always benefitted from Houkou's protection up until they were ten years old. The wolf that could control natural forces would simply push any weather he deemed too dangerous for the young humans in his pack off course so it never reached them. They didn't learn to deal with harsh winters until after Akatsuki had taken Houkou away from them.

But Naruto knew with certainty the one thing he had to do. If he was going to actually protect his family and his home among the trees there was really only one thing he must do. And he planned on doing it.

"Kota!" he whistled out sharply and the little golden fox with black ears came bounding up to him and looked up questioningly with big brown eyes. "Help me find Kiro."

The fox nodded his head and leapt into the high grass ears erect and swiveling around his head. The three tails kept his nose to the ground till finally they came to a dense patch of trees and brush and found Kiro sleeping among the brush. Kota withered a little and hid behind Naruto's legs. Foxes were much smaller than wolves and Kota merely came to his waist in height. It was also because of Kiro's four tails.

Kiro had gained a tail of chakra over the past years. The wolf explained that like humans, as demons aged they grew in power. He was at his pinnacle, however. None of the clans could ever go higher than a tail below their clan head. For wolves this meant only four tails. For foxes it meant eight. For the poor little raccoon dogs that would have called Shukaku their own, they only ever had the one tails. As Naruto understood it, the power of the 'named' beasts was passed down from one holder to the next. Kiro would only become the next Gobi if his brother were alive and willing to pass the title and the power on to him.

"What do you want Kitsune?" Kiro growled a little without opening his eyes. "It is very early in the day."

"We need to talk." Naruto responded without a flinch of fear in his voice.

"Oh is that so?" Kiro popped one green eye open to stare at him. "And what is it you want to talk about?"

"I need to gain the final two tails." Naruto set his face in stone; he was dead serious about this. If he was going to protect them he had to finally master all of the demon's chakra.

Kiro stood up and shook his fur free of any dead brush that had accumulated upon it. He stalked up to Naruto and put his nose right to Naruto's own nose and they stared at one another. "You are sure about this?"

"I am."

"I do hope this is not in response to the Black Cloaks…." Kiro snarled and began shuffling through the trees towards the patch of land Naruto and he usually used for training.

"No, it is for us."

"Us? What use do we have of a nine-tail? We have plenty of tails of our own to protect ourselves with." Kiro was taking the meaning wrong and assuming Naruto now believed it was his duty to protect the pack.

"No, for **us, **so we can protect ourselves." Naruto hesitated a little. "And the pup."

"Ah so Kuroi was right." Kiro sighed a little. "Ryoki is with child, with you as the sire. I must remind you Kitsune, she is our pup. We wolves mate for life…"

"Which is why I must do this." Naruto cut the wolf off. He understood Kiro was still a little protective of Ryoki and Rajan, he did call them his pups after all. "They are your pups I get it, but Ryoki is MY mate. And she has MY pup. So it stands to reason that they are now MY responsibility to protect."

Kiro sat down and began to laugh. It was a soothing sound that rumbled deep in his chest. He turned his head to Naruto and Kota and nodded his head. "I see that our traditions have finally started to sink into that dense skull of yours, Naruto! You've finally learned to be a wolf!"

"It was bound to happen sometime right?" Naruto smirked back. "So will you help me?"

"What do I need to do for you Kitsune? You already know the process well enough to do this on your own. Or do you still fear that final tail?"

"You always said that demons could not go higher than their namesake's number of tails. If I do this I am 'taking' Kyuubi's tails and his power. I would think that makes me the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"It would, yes."

"I…I don't want to turn into a fox."

"You won't."

"But something might happen?"

"Of course there is always that possibility." Kiro sighed. "Very well I will keep watch with Kota as you start out on this endeavor. I do not think you will need such protection, but I will honor your wish to have me nearby."

"Thanks Kiro."

They neared the large plains of grass just to the east of the forests. Kiro stopped at the edge as did Kota and both looked back to Naruto, as he passed between them both. He could see some of the old scars that the three of them had put in the landscape and others he knew had been reclaimed by the earth. This was where they always came to release another part of the seal.

He found his rock, still near the only tree outside of the tree line. He sat down and sighed heavily and closed his eyes. Back to the sewers and to the brass gates of the demon fox. They no longer were as grand as they once were.

The lights seemed to flicker and dim and gave off an even sicker yellow glow than before. The water was deeper, now coming to his knees and the brass cage that once was huge, now had bars that bent and their finish cracked and rusted. Inside was no longer the monstrous demon fox that once had been there, but instead a mind with very little power left of its own.

_**You have returned sooner than I thought, Kitsune. **_

The Kyuubi had begun to call him what Kiro and Ryoki had, over the course of time. It was odd after hating the fox for so long it was strange to be concerned with the state of the fox. But he had become concerned and now he felt sad that he was finally going to steal the fox's life away.

_**Ah so that's why you have come.**_

"_I ask for your blessing Kyuubi-sama." Naruto bowed his head and let his other seven 'tails' flail behind him as he stood in front of the cage. "I ask that you help me to protect my family…"_

The fox began to chuckle lowly in his throat and his red eyes came into view. Naruto no longer feared those wild red eyes or the long sharp fangs. He knew the fox could no longer hurt him; the power had now shifted to his side of the cage.

_**So you have become a true wolf then. You sound just like that groveling dog when he erred in attacking me. It cannot be helped I guess. I will grant your blessing, Uzumaki Naruto, as we agreed. My power is now your power, my title is now yours to do as you will. **_

Naruto reached up and let his hand hover over the only piece of the seal left in place on the cage doors. All the edges and wasted paper had been torn or burned away by Naruto each time he came to assimilate a new tail. The only thing remaining was the kanji symbol for 'seal' written in fading black ink. He once again glanced up at the red eyes watching him before ripping away the seal at last.

The cage doors began to creak and break, falling down into the deeper waters of the sewers. They made splashes and made waves but Naruto stood unflinching. From behind the cage a fox no taller than Kota emerged, fire red with black around his eyes. The Kyuubi stretched and yawned then strode right up to Naruto and sat before him.

_**You know, I really will miss our bantering, you idiot child…**_

"_It will be kind of lonely without you constantly in my head." Naruto agreed. _

Kyuubi rose up on his hindquarters and placed his front paws on Naruto's chest. His nose came to Naruto's nose and he sniffed inquisitively at his container. Naruto smiled a little, the action was one not of annoyance or hate but of true intrigue. They had never really seen each other out from behind the bars. Naruto reached out and rested his hand between the two large ears. The Kyuubi's fur bristled at the touch but he did not move and he did not growl.

Finally the fox began to fade away, his chakra forming a red rain around them both. Two new tails joined Naruto's seven and he felt the strong jolt of memories and power hit him. He hit his knees and grasped his head. The power jolt he was used to, the rush of information and images, he was not.

_**You are now the new nine-tails, Kitsune-sama. You will now know what I once knew and what my predecessor passed on to me. You will know the true extent of my power and my kind's skills. Use them as you wish…to protect your family.**_

Naruto snapped to attention and found himself in the grass, snarling unintentionally at Kiro and Kota, who in turn were snarling at him. Behind him all nine tails formed from pure chakra swung around him and he noted that he was on all fours. Around them all little fires burned, the smoke of the burning grass burning his nostrils. But what concerned him most was the fact that he had apparently lost his control for a moment and given in to the fox's wild spirit.

He clamped down hard on the new chakra in his system, willing it to calm and to rejoin the rest of the Kyuubi's, no his, chakra. He snarled at himself and sat back on his feet. Slowly he forced the chakra back down and 'hid' his tails away. Kiro and Kota sat as well, silencing their own snarls and watching intently as Naruto struggled with this new sensation.

It was like everything around him was alit.

"Kyuubi-sama?"

The voice was a new one and Naruto opened his eyes to search for it. It was a small voice, like a child's. Instead of a wolf pup, he found Kota sitting in front of him, brown eyes watching as the golden fox cocked his head from side to side.

"Are you well?"

It hit Naruto that it was Kota he was hearing. He blinked a few times before reaching out to the little fox to pet him. "I can understand you Kota? How?"

"The Demon Fox passed on his title to you Naruto-sama." Kiro bowed his head. "You now are in possession of all his knowledge, of all his memories. I would be surprised if you didn't understand Kota-san now."

"Hai, Kyuubi-sama!" Kota barked happily. "You are of my kin now!"

"Don't call me that." Naruto snarled. He sounded a little too harsh even to his own ears and he bowed his head in apologies. "Kota, please just call me Naruto."

"If that is what you want, Kyu…Naruto-sama."

"And none of that 'sama' business either." Naruto smiled a bit. "I am no sir. Least of all to any of you."

"In our world, Naruto, our traditions dictate that you are." Kiro stood and bowed his head to Naruto which only intensified the uncomfortable feeling in his gut. "I highly doubt you will ever train that out of Kota…"

"I am sorry Naruto-sama. I will try what you asked!" Kota seemed happy to please him and he patted the golden fox again.

Naruto could still feel the memories, newly gained, racing through his head. It was of no small wonder that the Kyuubi attacked Konoha. All the pain and suffering the demons had gone through during the wars that led up to most of the sealing's that took place. Foxes were easier to hunt than other animals and so they suffered the most, and because of his hatred and his desire to kill those who would kill his kin, the Kyuubi had grown in size and in demonic nature. Soon he was the beast that the wife's tales would talk about and the creature that an unrecognizable Uchiha tricked into attacking the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

He stood and straightened, stretching his limbs to feel for the start of the coming illness he suffered whenever he took tails. He did not feel the stretch or the pull, but part of him knew it was coming. Best it happened now before Akatsuki could find them, he could have time to recover and get used to his new gifts.

But Kami help Akatsuki when they did show up. He was going to make them pay for all his fellow bijuu and their human containers. He would make them pay for what they had done.

* * *

**Words and Meanings**

**Kitsune** – fox  
**Ren'ai – **love, affections  
**Sonkei** – elder brother  
**Aneue – **older sister  
**Kiro** – crossroads/one's way  
**Kuroi – **black  
**Kyuubi – **nine, also the name that the Demon Fox is known by  
**Yoko – **beside/width  
**Gobi** – five  
**Houkou** – the 5 tailed demon dog/wolf, his name can stand for many things including: direction, way, yell, and howl.


	5. The Fox's Den

**The Strength of the Wolf**

Chapter 4:The Fox's Den

Chapter Summary:Life among the Tree of Houkou has never been better for the Wolf Pack. It is no secret that wolves love pups and celebrate their coming and fiercely protect them as they grow and learn to become members of the pack. Naruto and Ryoki must learn to adjust to life in their new role…as parents…all the while preparing for the worst, should Akatsuki show up at their door.

_Last night I dreamed I was chasing a pack of wolves, trying to belong – Edgar Cayce_

_

* * *

_

Naruto watched with absolute amazement at the sight before him. Just hours before he had been terrified to death about the whole commotion that had woke nearly every creature within the forests, now he was awestruck. Ryoki was a few feet away, her back against her favorite spot in the tree, two children held tightly in her arms. And despite the howling and jovial sounding yips around them, both children slept peacefully in their mother's arms.

Twins…dear Kami he had twins.

A boy twin and a girl twin; just like Rajan and Ryoki. Both perfect little bundles that had barely made a sound after their birth and now were barely disturbed by the celebration around them. It was almost like they could tell they were surrounded by wild animals, but knew they were being protected by those said wild animals.

They were **his** twins.

His.

Ryoki, though she looked utterly exhausted and worn to the bone, smiled up at him and her eyes looked so alit that it became contagious and he smiled widely too. She had been frightened at first by this whole idea of becoming a mother. But now, after several months of reassuring, Ryo was back to her confident self. Naruto still saw some of those old worries cross her eyes, usually late at night as they lay in the great tree of Houkou, but he would joke and prod, and things would be okay again.

Now he was the one that was scared.

"You could go closer, Kitsune." Kiro's deep voice rumbled beside him and Naruto turned his head to stare at the old wolf who now sat beside him, eyeing the same scene as he was. "They are your kits after all."

"You are calling them kits." Naruto smirked. "Odd. I would have sworn we'd be calling them pups."

"If you would move closer, silly Kitsune, you would see they have YOUR coloring." Kiro snuffed hard. "We always call the offspring after their sire."

"Just when I think I've got all this formality and tradition down, you throw something else into the mix."

Kiro merely shoved him with a rough head butt in his back. Naruto stumbled forward and smiled awkwardly at Ryo, now laughing at Kiro's initiative.

"I promise they don't bite Naruto."

"Sure they don't." Naruto winked and sat down next to her to look at the pair. As Kiro had stated, both had shocks of blonde hair atop their heads. "Doesn't mean I can't break them though."

"Oh whatever," Ryo snorted and handed off one of the small creatures to him. Nervously he took the small baby and smiled as he looked more closely at his bundle. It was the boy twin. "So, Father, what are their names?"

"You are asking me?!" Naruto started a bit and began to shake his head wildly. "Oh no…not me."

"Oh yes you!" Ryo giggled and held up the girl so he could see her face. "It is the 'sire's' job to name the pups."

"Kiro was calling them kits."

Ryo began to laugh even more, the adrenaline rush from what she had just done probably made her a little giddy. "Either way they are ours, Kitsune. And you are the sire. So name 'em."

"You sure you're not going to regret this later?" Naruto eyed her and smirked as Ryo gave him that 'you better do what I say' look.

"Naruto, I'm sure." Ryo smirked. "As long as you don't name them after some damn food item like some insane woman did to you."

Naruto pretended to pout a little, he rather liked his name. For the longest time he merely stared down at his son. Kami, his son, and tried to think of something proper to name both of them. He had already figured that, with them being twins and all, he needed to think up something similar or something with the same starting letters.

"Mino." He whispered out to the small child, sleeping in his grasp. It was not exactly the first name he thought of, but it likened to a name Jiraiya had once said around him. Without actually knowing who the name really belonged to, he did not want to name his kid after him, even if he had liked the sounds of it. But he figured he was safe taking out some letters. Then he could just pretend it was some random name he'd heard or thought sounded good.

"I like that, it seems to fit him." Ryo smiled and reached her free hand over to run her fingers over the boy's forehead. "Mino-kun. Now for your daughter."

"Hmmmm" Naruto scratched his chin, thinking hard. "Miska?"

Ryo returned her attention to the little girl in her arms and brushed her slightly longer blonde fuzz away from the sleeping girl's forehead. "Little Miska-chan…"

The names seemed to suit Ryo's tastes as she didn't reach out and slug him, or proclaim them unfit for her pups. Naruto leaned over and rested his head atop of Ryo's and she cuddled her head into the crook of his neck. It was a rather peaceful moment despite all that was going on around them.

Several of the younger wolves in the pack of demons were skirting themselves close to the pair, but Rajan, in an odd show of diligence, would quickly chase them off. And when he was not driving off the said animals, he was standing protectively in front of Ryo and the kids. Naruto smirked; this was going to be too much fun for all of them.

"This is so odd." Ryo whispered. "It is usually Kuroi who's having pups and Kiro snapping at the yearlings."

"It is new for all of us I am sure." Naruto chuckled. "Ain't that right, Sonkei?"

Rajan turned and smirked right back, he almost seemed as proud as the two actual parents did. He was after all an 'uncle' now. "Hey an adventure is an adventure right? Now we get to see why old Kiro's white."

Kiro snarled and took his teeth into the loose material that Raj's shirt was made out of. He pulled the boy in a bit of a tug of war and then quickly let go, which caused Raj to fall back on his ass. Raj merely laughed as the older demon stalked off taking his pack with him.

"So…" Ryo muttered as her eyes seemed to drift close from exhaustion. The adrenaline was probably finally wearing thin. "What do you suppose we do now?"

* * *

"Oomph"

The noise barely registered in Naruto's brain for half a second before he turned a watchful blue eye to his left. There in the grass laid Mino, staring at the base of one of the old evergreen trees like it was some sort of evil entity out to bite him.

"Stupid tree."

Naruto grinned as he watched the blonde-haired boy trying desperately to figure out this puzzle that his father had given him. Naruto was more than certain that he'd figure out the tree-walking exercise, he just knew how Mino worked.

Rush in…think about it later.

When Mino finally did 'think' about it, it would dawn on the boy almost instantly. Mino was just like Naruto, however, right down to their clone-like looks and their hasty personality.

Granted it was a lot more entertaining to watch Mino testing out this new trick. Naruto's eyes traveled to his right side and saw Miska, Mino's twin, still sitting at the base of the tree, her feet outstretched and lightly touching the bark of her tree. There were dents in the tree, yes, but she did not have to fall to the ground like her brother did, so she was relatively unscathed.

Both five year olds had become increasingly hard to keep occupied. So Naruto, after seeing Mino copying some of his hand signs almost perfectly, he decided to teach them a few tricks. Ryo had agreed and Naruto secretly knew she had been showing them things behind his back. Things like ninja arts, chakra control exercises, basically simple, basic things that he had picked up years ago….from Iruka. It was more for their sanity than for the children's benefit, though he did suppose it was for their benefit as well. Should anyone ever try to come to their little patch of forest and try to hurt them it would be good if the children knew how to escape and defend themselves, right?

Mino and Miska, since the day they turned two, had shown a spark of skill. Ryo had been the first to pick up on it when Miska was playing with one of the many 'yearlings' and quite by accident used what Ryo and Raj did almost on instinct now, and caused a clump of dirt to rise up and smack the yearling when he got too rough with her. The yearling had disappeared yelping and Miska had been quite proud of herself.

They had noticed then that though Miska's eyes were a color closely matched to Naruto's, her left eye did not have a real defined pupil anymore. Somewhere through the course of two years she'd lost it, because she had been born with two perfectly normal looking eyes. Either way the girl was constantly playing with things like leaves, water, dirt, and making them into different shapes, uses, and all of that.

Mino did not match his sister in this way; he still had both of his pupils. Not that they had seen in him any of the traits of his twin sister. No he was more like a sponge. Anything he saw Naruto do, hand signs, ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, any of it, Mino was quick to pick up on the inner workings of it. It did not mean he could exactly pull them off yet, he just had them locked away in his head, waiting for when he had enough chakra himself to do them.

Naruto had laughed at the whole idea of it all, because it had struck him early on that if he was still in Konoha, his children would be lauded as Geniuses. Which coming from his lineage had to be some kind of joke, or it had to be from Ryo's side of the family lines, because he was no genius. He had always been dead last.

Mino brushed himself off quickly, and began to walk up the side of the tree again. Miska was still hard at work trying to find the precise amount of chakra and Naruto… Naruto was enjoying a wonderful afternoon nap with his third child, Rena, fast asleep with her head resting on his chest, sucking on her thumb every so often.

The twins were just like Naruto. Mino looked just like him, and Miska was a mirror as well except that her hair was long, pulled into ponytails, and her left eye. Both had bright blue eyes, wiry builds and that damn grin that Ryo began to call the Uzumaki Grin, which they used at every opportunity to get what they wanted, or to get themselves out of trouble.

Rena was a different story. She was much smaller than the other two had been at her age, and she had the copper-toned hair that Ryo and Raj had. Her eyes, vastly different from the twins, were dark blue orbs with no visible pupil whatsoever…in either of her eyes. Sure it was there, but its color was so like the color of her irises that it was undetectable.

It was in Rena that Kiro had taken a great deal of interest in because of her eyes. Unlike Ryoki, Rajan and Miska, BOTH of Rena's eyes were marked in a way that suggested she could have the Butaigan like her mother and sister, just in both eyes. Which meant it was a full bloodline trait exposed, not just half realizations of it. What that meant for Rena no one knew. The one that could have maybe known was captured by Akatsuki long ago and they would only have to wait and see.

"May I ask why you are teaching them such things?" Kiro, the old alpha wolf came strolling up to the little glen they were in. His gaze was on Mino, further up his chosen tree than last time. "Do I have to remind you what you had to learn when you first came to us?"

"Yeah, yeah, Fang and Claw." Naruto smirked dismissively at the old wolf. "They're a bit young for that aren't they? Anyways, knowing how to stick yourself to a tree could come in handy if you need to get away unnoticed."

"Ryoki and Rajan started their training with us at six…when they were found by my brother." Kiro sat next to Naruto and let his muzzle drop down slowly to sniff at Rena's head. "And the runts are more than skilled enough to start picking up."

"Which one do you want to bite first?" Naruto chuckled a little. Mino was a constant terror around the tree and he was sure that Kiro wouldn't mind nipping the little boy just to put him in line.

Kiro 'hmphed' and twitched his multitude of tails. "We would not bite yearlings."

"Eh, sure you wouldn't." Naruto started to jab at the wolf but they were soon interrupted by Miska's long pigtails hanging in front of Naruto's eyes.

"Tou-san, Look!"

Naruto moved the silky blonde strands out of his eyes and smirked up at Miska, expertly attached to the side of the tree he had been leaning against, hanging there perpendicular to he and Kiro. Naruto smiled broadly. "Very good Miska-chan! Hey Mino, guess what?"

"Awww, no! Miska!" Mino whined as he came crashing down again, distracted by his sister's beating him to the goal. "Way to go cheater!"

"How could I cheat?" Miska shot back.

"You just sat there the whole time."

"Not my fault you wanted to do it the hard way. At least I'm not all bruised up."

"You're still a cheater!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

Naruto sighed heavily as the bickering intensified and the pair was just a wrestling mess in front of him. The racket woke Rena, who sat up a little rubbing at her eyes and blinking at her siblings.

"Mino get in trouble?" she turned her eyes to Naruto and Kiro.

Naruto ruffled her hair lightly. "No Rena-chan, it's just the usual."

"Oh." Rena turned her attention back to the pair fighting. "Sonkei and Aneue are silly."

"Yes, yes they are." Naruto agreed with his youngest.

"Wow that brings back memories." Naruto glanced up and found Rajan lazing about in his usual position on a sturdy branch above him. He laughed and pointed at the two wrestling children, now getting dusty and dirty from the ground below. "Houkou swore that me and Ryo were sick if we didn't get into a least one fight a day over who learned what faster."

"Oh so for once I'm not to blame."

Rajan laughed and nodded an affirmative. "Hai, you're usually the one to blame, but not with this. I think it's just twin nature."

"Otooji!" Both twins stopped and steadied on the balls of their feet, staring up at the wayward uncle. Raj and Ryo had gone to Dorsa a few weeks ago to scrounge up some work. It was Ryo's turn to go with Raj so they had left Naruto to play babysitter to his own 'kits'.

It was their system now; they would work in pairs now, Naruto and Raj, then Ryo and Raj, and then Ryo and Naruto. They had planned it so that the twins would not be dragged all over creation and after Rena had come it just made sense to have some sort of stability.

With Rajan being here it meant that the pair had returned from their trip. Which was always a huge relief to Naruto, but even more so a moment of celebration for the kids.

It meant there were presents.

Rajan leapt down and allowed the blonde pair to tackle him in the dirt and play fought with them. Seeing the fun, Rena squirmed away from Naruto's lap and joined her brother and sister in the fray, pinning Raj's legs by sitting on them at the knee.

"Stop! Help, Sonkei, help!" Raj laughed in earnest. Raj, out of all of them, was still as much as a kid as the kids themselves were. Raj would always play games with them, and acted like them, and it made him the kid's favorite person to stay behind.

Naruto stood and brushed off his pants and smiled as arms wrapped around his waist and squeezed. He held on to them and turned his head behind him to find Ryo smirking at the mass of their pack in a wrestling match.

"Glad to see all is well."

"Hai, all is well. Glad to see you two are okay."

Ryo snorted. "Raj and I have been at this game well before you came along, Kitsune. Remember we had to teach you."

"I was just bringing that point up to him." Kiro was snickering as he too watched the human pack greet each other.

"Hai, hai, but it doesn't mean I don't get to worry, Ookami."

"I'm surprised you have a chance to worry with the three of them." Ryo laughed and stood up on her tiptoes to peck him on the cheek. Then she positioned herself in front of Naruto, allowing him to wrap his arms around her shoulders. She let out a loud whistle, and all three children stopped and stared at her.

"Awww, you don't love Otooji enough to not be bribed?" Raj was smirking as the three rushed over to hug their mother.

Mino swiveled on his heel and flashed his father's grin. "Sorry Otooji, Kaa-san would be really ticked at us, ya?"

"Good point." Raj sat up and watched with amused mirth.

"Were you three good for Tou-san?" Ryo asked them and fixed Mino with a hard glare. Naruto stifled a laugh at the puppy dog look Mino gave his mother. Had he been this much trouble when he was this age? He really could not remember it much. And that what he did remember was not exactly pleasant.

"They were fine Ryo," he stood up for the three. "Stop teasin' 'em."

"Okay then." She pulled at her backpack and set it in front of her, pretending to dig, though Naruto and Raj knew she had the presents on top of the pack. "Hmmm where did I put…Oh here we go, Mino." She pulled out the top of his present and stopped part way. It looked just like a metal ring, just a plain metal ring, but Naruto knew it was a stock of kunai, specifically made. Raj and he had been the ones to place the order last time they had gone to Dorsa. There were two batches, one for each twin, and then something specifically for the individuals.

Kiro was right, the twins were old enough to start learning how to fight and it would be a relief if they knew how to defend themselves should anything happen. Though he would fight like hell to make sure nothing did.

Ryo finally pulled it out the rest of the way and Mino's eyes went wide. He inched forward a little bit and took a look, expectantly, but did not dare reach out till Ryo said so.

"Now you know what this means don't you?" Ryo took on that motherly tone she always had with the kids when she wanted them to know she was serious. Most of the time she treated them just like she would anyone else, as equals.

"Hai, Kaa-san." Mino nodded enthusiastically.

"And you have to be careful. If you hurt yourself because you did something stupid, we're not going to fix it right away, understand?"

"Hai, hai."

With that admission she tossed the ring towards Mino, who caught it and respectively fingered the metal weapons. Ryo pulled out a similar ring and tossed it towards Miska, who smiled happily and began to count each one.

"Oy! Mino, come here." Raj motioned with his hand and began digging through his own pack. Raj did not have to admit Mino was his favorite; it was clear as day every time he interacted with the kids. Mino was the most like Raj and Naruto so it stood to reason that the males banded together. So Naruto and Ryo had given him the task of getting Mino his 'individual gift' for starting serious training.

Mino hopped to Raj, smirking at his uncle. "Yeah Otooji?"

"You know, this had better put me back at the top of the standings." Raj pulled out a sheathed handle. He held it out to the boy who hesitantly took it and turned it over in his hands. "Well go on, pull it out."

The blade was something Naruto and Ryo had predicted. Raj was a close range fighter and that was his specialty. They knew Mino had a stronger knack for taijutsu and ninjutsu just by the stunts he pulled. Mino pulled out the polished silver metal and awed at the short dagger with an intricate design inlaid on the metal. "whoa…"

"Miska-chan," Ryo drew the girl's attention away from her brother's second gift. Ryo pulled out a roll of string that seemed to shimmer in the light. She held it out and Miska inspected it closely. Finally when she had a good feel on it she smiled brightly and began unwinding different lengths of the material.

Miska was a lot like her father in that she liked to play pranks on her brother. But she was like her mother in terms of jutsu. All together it seemed she was more a long-range fighter than the up close and personal type.

So they had gotten her wires. Naruto understood chakra could be fed into the wires and used in different ways, or she could make traps and restraints with them. They would soon be the dismay of her brother, of that both adults were sure. She had enough chakra control that this seemed like the best option for her.

A small tug on his pants leg drew Naruto's eyes downward and he saw Rena frowning only slightly up at him. He knelt down and hugged her a little. "Don't worry Rena; I don't think Kaa-san forgot you."

"Of course not." Ryo turned and picked up her bag. "We got you something special Rena."

Ryo let out a loud whistle and Kota, Naruto's fox demon companion from Fire Country came trotting out in proud golden glory. Kota had gone off during the two weeks as well, following Raj and Ryo for a short while before he went off on his own. The fox sat obediently next to Naruto's legs and barked out his greeting.

"I have returned, Naruto-sama." Kota happily greeted. It was the one thing Kota could never get over, calling Naruto "sama" but Naruto had grown used to the honorific. Kota leaned forward to sniff at Rena then stood to reveal a smaller fox underneath of him.

Rena blinked at the small kit, which looked so strange compared to most of the foxes Naruto himself had seen in the few days he had spent with the demon foxes training. The small beige colored fox looked so tiny, almost as if it was still a baby, and yet its ears were huge compared to the size of his head.

The little fox kit also seemed to take in Rena before Kota took his teeth and carefully picked up the kit and placed it right in front of Rena. Rena quietly let her hand reach out and touched the over-sized ears and the fox kit cocked his head inquisitively at Rena. Rena finally smiled and picked up the fox, just her size, in her arms and began to snuggle her chin between its ears.

"Ah, a runners fox." Kiro was inspecting from his spot beside the tree. "A fennec, very rare."

"Oh, so it's just not some baby kit with huge ears." Naruto laughed and scratched his head nervously. When he thought to ask Kota for another fox companion, he had been hoping for a protector for Rena since she wasn't quite ready to do what her siblings were doing. So instead of restricting one of Kiro's pups and making it seem separate from the pack Naruto had sent Kota to find a fox for Rena. "Way to go Kota, find us the freaky looking one."

"He looks just as he is meant to look." Kota barked indigently and curled up near the fox kit and Rena. Kiro laughed as well.

"No Naruto, Fennec's are rare now, even in demon form. They are so small, even with more tails than I; they won't get much bigger than what the little runt is now. So they were easy prey and training for the demon hunters of old. Fennec's are the ears of the Fox Clan."

"No shit." Raj snorted and stood to look at Rena's prize. "So Kota-san, what's this one's name?"

"Kouka." Kota barked and Rena began to smile.

"Kouka" she repeated and Kota nodded his head in agreement. It was something that all three children had picked up early on. Like Rajan and Ryoki they were exposed to the demon tongues at a young enough age to understand the growls and language of those who were not really creatures. Naruto had only recently learned the demon tongue and he had only done so because of his acquisition of the Kyuubi's memories.

"That's so cool Rena!" Miska came over and pet the little Kouka, now eyes closed and making an almost purring noise as the attention landed on him. "You've got your own familiar."

"Yeah, I'm jealous Rena-chan." Mino smiled at his little sister.

Any worries that they had about jealousy among the three siblings melted away as the two older twins congratulated and told their sister how jealous they were. Naruto knew the two would not be upset at this difference but Ryo had some worries about it prior.

Rena let the fox down and it bounced at her feet, apparently upset she had put him down. "Come on Kouka! Let's go play!"

The fox and the girl began to run towards the big tree, with her two siblings close behind. They wanted to see what all the little fox could do. The adults let them go and Ryo leaned back against Naruto.

"We're gonna be bandaging all of them up within a few hours aren't we?"

"More than likely…but I told you I was a klutz so it's really my fault if you think about it."

Ryo snorted while Raj laughed out loud. "I like how we can always blame you, Sonkei. Takes the pressure off of us."

"Glad you like that Raj." Naruto snorted and hugged Ryo around her waist. "So how was the trip really?"

"Not too bad, but pickings are getting slim. People are getting wary all of the sudden."

"Yeah, tensions are really getting up there." Raj pouted. "Apparently a few countries have really beefed up the border guards and it's starting to attract attention."

"Hai, we figured on that I guess." Naruto frowned. "So should we be preparing for the worst?"

"More than likely." Ryo sighed. "But for now…let's just enjoy the coming wounds and broken egos to come. I more than bet Miska will have Mino in the trees before sunset."

"Oh…you're on." Raj took the bait and Ryo smiled. "Mino-kun will so have a handle on this well before Miska."

"Well Miska did beat him on the tree exercise…I'm surprised he forgot that already." Naruto pointed out. Secretly he was laughing at what Rajan had said when he appeared out of thin air. Raj and Ryo, though they were now twenty-nine years of age, they still held their 'twin' natures and were secretly having a little competition with each other.

"_Rena and I should make shadow clones of each other. Then we can fit in a little bit." _He thought as he followed Ryo and Raj, still bickering of which of the twins would be better and at what. Maybe it was why he felt closest with little Rena, she and he were the odd ones out in this human pack of six.

* * *

Peace was a powerful motivator. Many a man would wage wars and create policies all in the name of peace. All those things did, however, was create more strife between those who disagreed. Peace was a more personal thing than anyone ever really tried to realize and Naruto was now sure he had found it.

Ryo and he sat at the edge of the forests watching the sunrise, enjoying just a tiny bit of 'peace' before they knew the runts would wake and break it. He loved his children, but there were some times that he missed the old days when he and Ryo could just off and go somewhere without having to leave behind much.

As it was, they were already granted a rare reprieve from the normally early risers. The twins, after receiving their gifts, had been training day in and day out, and as such they were exhausting themselves a lot quicker. Normally they would be up at dawn, eager to find something to occupy themselves with and bothering both of their parents. Now the sun was up a little further in the sky when the twins finally woke. Rena was happy with just finding Kouka and entertaining herself with her little fox pet.

And Raj? Raj was always a lazy bum so he never really interrupted quiet time anyway…except with his snoring.

"So what should we do today?" Naruto quietly asked Ryo in the hazy morning light. "Seems to me we have a rare opportunity here."

"What to do nothing?" Ryo laughed. "That's my plan anyway."

"Sounds good. How long till you think they find us?"

"Eh, hours. They are too occupied with Kiro at the moment anyway. I'm surprised they haven't hurt themselves yet."

"Well I suppose Kiro wouldn't let them hurt themselves too badly. Plus it's a game for them to see who does first." Naruto laughed. "Anything for competition sake."

"Look who's talking, you and Raj have all sorts of games to prove who's better." Ryo stretched out and lay back in Naruto's lap and he started to brush his fingers through her hair. She had taken to letting the copper strands loose at night, after all had gone to sleep. Naruto pretended to not notice it too much but he highly suspected she had started the tradition because he had said he liked her hair down five years ago in Dorsa.

"I guess you're right." He shrugged. "Though we don't get to play them as much anymore."

"Such a shame you two had to grow up already." Ryo smirked up at him, playfully teasing him as she always did.

"Oh please, Raj hasn't grown up any. I'm the one that had to grow up, he's just Otooji now."

"I guess you have a point there." Ryo stretched her legs out in the tall grass. "Still, you have to admit he's better."

"It'll just take another twenty-some years to catch up, that's all." Naruto laughed.

They enjoyed the rest of the morning in silence, napping some and watching clouds the rest. They could hear distant voices and the wolves moving about, but mostly it was just the sound of the breeze whistling through the grasses surrounding their home.

It was the sad thing about peace….it could be shattered so easily.

A long, lone wolf howl broke their peaceful relaxation about mid-morning. It was not Kiro's familiar tone nor was it any of the wolves known to keep around the tree. It was one of the outliers, the lower members of the pack that kept closer to the borders keeping watch.

Ryo was the first to take notice of it, sitting up from her comfortable position in Naruto's hold and scanning the trees behind her. Howling was a different form of communication that Naruto could not quite grasp onto. Ryo and Raj did, and he suspected the twins were starting to pick it up as well, but he never got it. He knew what certain tones meant, however, and the one he had just heard was agitated…frightened.

Then more began to join the chorus that the first started. He wondered if it was just a call for a hunt or if it was a ballsy merchant band that had crossed just a little too close to the border for the wolf's taste and he had sounded a hasty alarm.

"Fuck." Ryo was whispering hurriedly as she scurried to her feet and began to fly for the tree line behind them. "Ren'ai we need to move."

"What? What's going on? It was an outlier." Naruto scrambled to catch up to Ryoki and found her eyes unwavering towards the front of them.

"They've come."

And that was all Ryoki needed to say. Naruto flew forward faster than her towards Houkou's tree. They've come… Akatsuki had finally broken that veil of secrecy around their forest and had come to claim what they believed belonged to them.

As they came closer they could sense the chakra that did not belong in their pack and knew they were insanely too close to where Kiro and the runts should be, but they knew also Raj was nearby. What they ran into made Naruto's blood boil.

Two men in black cloaks with red clouds adorning them stood at different lengths from where Rajan now stood his two katana blades out and shining in the daylight. Behind him Kiro stood, looking ever much the demon as he had years ago in Fire, snarling angrily at their guests. Under him the twins sat looking, unwavering at the strangers, Rena hiding behind them clutching at Kouka like a life line.

The one Naruto instantly recognized and began to snarl just like Kiro at him. The tinted blue skin that could be seen from underneath the broad straw hat told him instantly that it was the shark-man Hoshigaki Kisame. The second figure seemed much shorter than any of them present but the intensity of just his presence was much stronger than Kisame's.

"Well, what do you know, you're not quite a runt anymore…" Kisame was raising his hat a little, the beady white eyes glaring at him just beneath the rim.

"Oh so the fish can talk eh." Rajan was smirking darkly at the fish man with a huge sword. "I'm really surprised."

Kisame reacted to the insult by brandishing the large wrapped sword he carried, Samehada. Rajan only snorted a little and raised his own blades too. This was dangerous territory they were delving into.

"I have to say I'm surprised as well." The second man began to talk, and Naruto felt his nerves flare up inside. That voice….

"That a dobe like you could rack up the reputation that this little team of yours has."

So the rumors were true then.

"What's the matter? You didn't get what you wanted out of your grand dreams of revenge….." Naruto began to snarl angrily. "Teme…"

The wind blew between the wolf pack and the invading Akatsuki members. The shark tightened his grip on his oversized sword and the hawk removed his hat. Naruto already knew who he would see underneath, though he looked just like Itachi, Naruto knew this was not the former Uchiha that stood with Hoshigaki.

It was Sasuke.

"Was your victory empty, Uchiha?" Naruto stood straighter and stalked himself between Raj and the two Akatsuki. "From what I heard your victory was robbed from you."

Sasuke's eye twitched and Naruto could see the normally dark eyes go red. Oh good, he was going to use his Sharingan…what little he knew about those eyes, blessed to him by a Kyuubi generations ago. With what he had learned from the memories of the Kitsune demon had revealed to him what Ryo and Raj had learned from Houkou well before him. The Great Eye Techniques that all the nations coveted were blessings from the Demon Clans who were then betrayed. The Sharingan was the fox eye…the Kitsune's eyes….Sasuke was going to give him what he wanted.

"Hmm I see the mouth hasn't changed." Kisame chuckled a little and took a more defensive stance.

"What would you know? From what I heard you are a coward, you left the Leaf in disgrace." Sasuke growled.

"Heh…guess that makes us the same then Teme… we're both cowards."

Kisame was the first to move, seeing what Naruto was trying to do. He sighed and dodged away, while Rajan came up and met Kisame with his own swords. The fish man blinked in surprise at the sudden contact, unsure as to why Samehada hadn't just broken Raj's Katanas, but Naruto know the boy had reinforced them with an Earth Jutsu, just behind Naruto's back.

"Oy Sonkei, seems you know that guy." Rajan smiled broadly, showing off his teeth as he stared down Kisame. "And this one seems quick to jump the trigger…"

"Hai, Sonkei, I know him." Naruto began to smile as well. "You okay with the shark?"

"Oy! What a stupid question! You okay with the copy-wheel?"

Naruto merely hmphed and pulled out a kunai, twirling it haphazardly on his finger. "Ryo-sama…"

"Oh but it's so hard to choose." Ryo said sweetly, the demon wolves coming to form behind her. "I guess we'll just have to see which one looks like more fun."

"I see you found those just as clueless as you to hang around with." Sasuke opened the black cloak and Naruto could now see the standard outfit for Sound Ninja beneath. "Shame really…"

"Oy, you're one to talk. You wanted to get revenge and restore your clan? Now you're a puppet for an organization. Just one master to the next with you isn't it? Never thinking for yourself."

That triggered it and Sasuke came flying at him, a katana blade out from behind him, crackling with lightning along its edge. Naruto heard the sound it emitted and immediately thought of his former sensei's prized jutsu. Chidori, only this was not the usual form of it. Sasuke must have taken it much further.

He waited until the blade was slicing towards him to fly up and then come down behind Sasuke, throwing his kunai at his back. Sure he knew it would not hit but he had to maneuver Sasuke away from the kids….from Rajan and Ryoki. The kids knew to move, and once they figured they could safely they would do so. But they knew better than to move with a predator straight in front of them. So he had to move Sasuke and Rajan had to move Kisame. And if at all possible, they had to move them away from each other.

He formed the hand seals and called forth a few shadow clones. He saw the slightest tug at Sasuke's mouth. Naruto grinned his wild mischievous grin. Sasuke saw what he wanted to see…and idiot and a fool. Let him think that's what he was, let him assume that all their successes as the Wolf Pack were Ryoki's and Rajan's strengths at work.

_Dodge and Parry! Trick and Confuse. _Kiro's old words echoed in his mind. He smirked and played his old role. That was what a Kitsune would do. And when the time was right he would show Sasuke he wasn't some idiot that was going to let his hatred for himself tear apart his happiness. He would show Sasuke the truth behind his very own Bloodline limit.

He'd show Akatsuki just what he knew.

* * *

Rajan grinned like a mad man on drugs as he watched Naruto lead the dark-haired copy-wheel user away towards the open plains. He knew what Naruto was planning and now he had to do his part as well. He really did have to thank his Sonkei…he definatly drew the fun Akatsuki member to play with.

Hoshigaki Kisame….one of the Mist's Seven Swordsmen…and a rare opportunity to go against a real weapons master. Rajan liked those odds. He'd heard about only one other of the seven, Momochi Zabuza and all that he had heard about the missing-nin was that Naruto's team watched him die years ago in Wave Country.

But Hoshigaki, he was in front of him, and that sword of his was impressive. The Samehada, said to eat up chakra and shave off skin. Rajan smirked again and broke away from the large imposing Mist Nin. It was a really good thing he did not rely heavily on chakra based moves.

"So, you must be the brawn of this little outfit eh?" Kisame was actually smirking himself. That was the thing about those like them. They noticed one another almost instantly. How often, in the world of shinobi, did those like them…the brawlers…get to really go at someone? They always had to play the game of Jutsu and Subterfuge…but what really made it all worthwhile in their practice was finding someone else to cross blades with.

"I guess you might say that." Raj raised his swords and pointed at Samehada. "Nice weapon you got there pal."

"It'll rip you alive, punk." Kisame went flying through hand signs before sinking into the ground. "Doton: Underground Submarine Voyage!"

Rajan grinned and waited till he saw the point of no return, he jabbed downward with his katana blades. "Doton: Earth Spike."

He knew it wouldn't connect, not with a missing Nin of Hoshigaki's caliber. Instead the shark erupted from behind him, already mid-swing of his large sword.

But that's where Ryoki came in. A large wall of earth was already rising up to greet the flying shark. He darted away at the last second, bouncing off a tree and coming at Raj from another direction, but he had ample time to defend himself and reinforce his swords again.

Kisame grinned as the wrangled for the best position, swords locked and the shark skin of the Seven's sword seeming to reach out to try and bite his flesh. "I see now, a pair. I guess I'll just have to take her out first."

Rajan really did have to laugh out loud at that remark. "Oh you're better off with me pal. You find her and she'll have that head of yours."

"Hmph."

So the game changed. It was sad that the shark was really willing to try to draw him out in this fashion. It always seemed to happen that way though. As was custom, Ryo had already used her Genjutsu and was safely hiding in a tree somewhere, it would be hard for Kisame to detect her, not with his copy-wheel friend off dealing with Naruto.

That didn't mean Ryo didn't leave a trail big enough for him to follow for a bit. Raj tagged behind, amazed at the speed at which the shark-man could move lugging around that sword, but he kept up. Ryo was doing just as Naruto was doing, what they had all planned to do the moment any Akatsuki landed in their midst.

Lead them away from the pups.

And that's what they were doing. Rajan slashed out with a kunai as the shark-man's foot landed on a sturdy branch. It grazed the material and made the man look around at him, smirking over the high collar of his black robe. "You fellas really should have had some meetings on the wardrobe choices. You all look like a bunch of girls."

Kisame smirked and turned his attention back to him.

"I'm going to enjoy killing you."

"Gotta catch me first." Rajan leapt back a bit as the sword came slashing at him again. Sure the Samehada was good if you were facing a slower, ninjutsu using, opponent, but against someone with blades smaller and lither it was proving to be too slow. Rajan could see the wasted movement in his swings, the laggy aspect of it all. He struck with one katana and swung low with the other, the sweet sound of the ripping fabric ringing in Rajan's ears.

He had to dodge quickly though as Kisame quickly reversed his swings, headed down towards his other hand. He parried quick and leapt towards the forest floors, darting as he went. The shark came flying at him and he had to land and shoot off to the right before the man's booted foot landed squarely in his back, along with his sword.

Samehada was very nearly all the way unwrapped now and the bandage that had covered it before flapped like wings in the wind. The tip of the sword was embedded in solid dirt below and Kisame's beady little eyes were solely on him.

"You move fast." He smiled silently to himself. "And the rumors are true," he said as he tugged some on his sword. "The two of you are very good with Doton Jutsu."

Rajan only kept at the ready.

"And that girl, she's just as bad as the Sannin with her tricks."

So he knew Ryo was still around, but how? It struck him moments later that the sword was the reason. It fed off of chakra so it probably could still sense her chakra even though it couldn't see her. And that meant the man holding the sword would know also.

He decided to lunge at the shark, slicing and dicing as fast as he could at the time, without switching elements and going towards Wind to speed up his swings. He wanted to stay with Earth as long as he could because it helped him reinforce the metal of his blades, which was probably already strained by the few hits they had taken from the scaled blade.

Not to mention switching took a bit of effort on their part.

They separated again and then he saw the shark clasp his hands together and lean his head back. "_Well it's not an attack jutsu it's supplementary. So what would a shark…oh seriously he's going for water?" _

Sure enough the shark was calling forth a Suiton based jutsu. He opened his mouth and water began to pour out, lots of water, beginning to flood the area around them. Rajan leapt up the tall trees and watched as the waves sloshed around the trees and drowned whatever happened to be in the way. He really hoped that the twins had already started moving away from the fighting or that he and Ryo had gotten far enough away from them.

"_Kiro's with them, he knows earth pretty well, he can form mud with water and create an island….they are fine, we have to worry about us." _

He allowed himself to land on the waves and rode them just as well as the shark was but he knew the shark would be vastly better at water jutsu than he would be. He could try to use a strong wind to ice over the water, but that would be way too hard on his part, he wasn't a ninjutsu user and it would force him away from his earth preference.

Out from beneath him the shark came flying up and they began the ballet atop the waves of water. Rajan had to admire the shark for his speed, he really did, but he had to have a limit somewhere.

He kept up, dodging and parrying most of the slashes, but it didn't do him any good to be on the defensive, not with this guy and not now that he was in his element of choice.

Rajan felt the move beneath him in the waves and he smirked as the water shot up in front of him, like spikes, towards the feet of the Akatsuki. Ryo had made the switch for him and was going to try to best the shark in his own element.

Kisame seemed to take notice, as he darted from the spikes of water.

"You made the mistake pal!" Raj prodded him, seeing the beady eyes starting to search the trees looking for Ryo. "Ryo's a Water Element to."

"Humph." He smirked. "I am from the Mist Country, we specialize in Water Element, what could the two of you come up with living in a place like Grass?"

"You'd be surprised." Ryo was now right behind him, her kunai pressed to his side. "We can be really creative without those ugly restrictions that villages put on their people."

Kisame smirked and swung around at Ryo quickly. His sword went right through her and she disappeared into a puddle, rejoining the mass of water around them. Raj was already taking the offensive, while Kisame was off center. His swords met flesh and fabric but his eyes went wide as the same thing that Ryo's Water Clone did, Kisame did. He disappeared in a flash of water droplets.

"_Fuck!" _

Up came the real Kisame from below, Samehada coming up out of the water like a fin.

Rajan couldn't move fast enough and he felt the long tear up his side, the scales of Samehada cutting into his skin like the sharpest of all kunai. He felt the warm spread of the blood and he snarled angrily, as he stumbled backwards.

He saw Ryoki coming out of her hiding place, kunai drawn like a claw extended from her left hand. Rajan steadied himself, even though he saw that the shark was coming back for another attack on him, since he was now the one off center.

Before the shark could connect, a large mass flashed out from above them all. Kiro's large frame came into the picture and his mouth enclosed itself around the shark's midsection, the large fangs digging in, even as Samehada cut into the wolf's back leg, the scales shaving off layers of skin and flinging blood.

Kiro's loud snarl was echoing in the higher boughs of the tree, as he shook the shark a few times in his mouth. Kisame's beady white eyes narrowed at the wolf, as he tried to dig Samehada deeper into Kiro's flank.

"You….stupid…damn wolf!" he snarled and gasped a bit. Kiro fully closed his mouth, the crunching of bones could be heard and Rajan inadvertently went to his knees in submission. He knew Kiro would never harm him, but in a fit of bloodlust, he might mistake a standing target as another enemy.

More of the pack started coming across the water's surface, snarling and baring their teeth at the Akatsuki. Rajan felt the water level starting to lower, the chakra backing its creation was slowly fading from the Shark's body as he bled and was crushed by Kiro's fangs.

"You have trespassed." Kuroi was snarling from beside Rajan. Her three tails wrapped around him protectively as she put herself between the shark and him. "You will pay for taking our brother."

"Heh, still pissed….about the Gobi, eh?" He tossed his Samehada high into the air, it causing to flip over and over. He began flying through hand signs, only hesitating on the last one. "Suiton: Shark Fang Eruption."

Rajan's eyes went wide as he realized what it was the shark was doing. What water was left began to form sharp spikes of concentrated water and chakra. Raj already knew to draw up the earth from below them but it wouldn't form a good enough wall being saturated with all the water that the Akatsuki Missing Nin had flooded the area with.

Kiro had let go of the shark, flying towards where Ryoki was standing and Kuroi had totally blocked him from the falling shark. What were they going to….

"Kuroi!" he gaped as the wolf circled herself around him.

The spikes flew just as the shark released his hand signs. The beady white eyes were losing their focus…he had used the last of his chakra to push off this attack…which meant the theories they had on the shark-looking man were wrong. In the state Kiro had put him in, it should have awoken any demon's bloodlust. Kisame wasn't a bijuu or a human infused with the stolen power of Isonade.

Still, he was powerful enough in his own right. And Rajan did have to wonder how the man came by his appearance. It was enough to make anyone believe he was some kind of monster…then again most of the Mist Swordsmen were on the side of lunacy.

He felt the wind move with the flying water spikes. Rajan closed his eyes and for the first time in many years he grabbed onto the fur of Kuroi, now wrapped around him protectively.

The ruckus finally died down and Rajan felt the soggy earth beneath his feet. Kuroi slowly unwrapped herself from around him, leaving just one of her tails around his stomach. Rajan gaped at the number of spikes, now seeming to melt away, stuck in her back and side. He glanced up and saw that Kiro had done the same for Ryoki.

"Rajan!"

Rajan smirked a little as Ryoki moved towards him, unconcerned with the state of the demon wolves. It had been a long time indeed since Ryo had called him by his first name. "_Shit I bet I look bad." _He glanced down at his side, the long tear from his hip up to his abdomen was bleeding pretty well and there were offshoots from the main cut, products of the way Samehada was designed.

"Oy, Aneue, that guy was a pain." He scratched at his head and smirked happily. "But I've not had that much fun in years!"

Ryo smacked him, albeit a little lightly, in his right arm. "You BAKA!"

Before she could continue the sword Kisame had flung up in the air came crashing back down, landing tip down in the mud. Rajan blinked at it, surprised by what Kisame had done with his precious blade. He moved forward, out of Kuroi's and Ryo's reach and stood right next to the sword.

Nearby the now lifeless shark lay in his own pool of blood. He'd not be that way if Kiro hadn't stepped in. The demon wolf had protected him from his over confidence…again. He glanced behind him, back towards the way Naruto had gone, and wondered if they needed to be moving…

"Kitsune knows more jutsu than we do now doesn't he Aneue…"

"He knows more than you….and he knows more area wide affects than you do." Ryo whispered. "We were wrong to assume the shark was only a close-range fighter."

"Oy, Aneue, I think we're a little rusty. All our jobs…we never really crossed too many high end shinobi. Sonkei he…"

"He is the Kyuubi now." Ryo straightened and glanced over to Kiro, now sitting and licking at his wounds.

"Then let's go."

* * *

"_Keep Moving, go to the rock, at the training grounds. Stay there until we come to find you…"_

Miska could not help but rethink each and every word of her mother's instructions as she followed Mino through the old trails of the forest towards where they always trained with Kiro. They never knew why the adults had always drilled them on this particular rule until now…they had never understood why their Kaa-san and Tou-san had been adamant they knew to run away if someone started to attack the tree.

What was the point of training them if they couldn't help??

Miska turned her gaze behind her, as they ran through the trees, unwilling to trust their chakra and the tree branches just yet. Rena could not follow them that way either so they opted to stay on the ground.

Kouka, the little fox kit that Kota had brought back with him, was ahead with Mino, barking insistently at her twin brother, but over the rushing air in her ears and the sounds of a battle behind them she couldn't quite understand what it was the little fox was trying to tell them.

Until it was too late.

They all came to a skidding halt as the man with the copy-wheel eyes appeared in front of them, glaring down at them with the same intensity that he had stared down their father. Rena yelped a little and gripped the back of Miska's shirt while Mino defiantly stood point and brought out one of his newly acquired kunai.

"Where do you three think you're going?" the man asked, taking more steps towards them, as they began to back up.

How had he gotten ahead of him? Why wasn't he fighting with their Tou-san? "Mino…"

"He can create clones like Tou-san." Mino was growling as he pressed up to Miska and Rena. Kouka came to stand beside Rena and Miska, growling and barking just as he had before they had run into the man.

"You figured that out did you?" the man smirked darkly at Mino and Miska saw the tomes of his eyes begin to distort and form into something else entirely. "It's a wonder considering who your father is…"

"Shut up you jerk!" Mino yelped and threw his kunai. It was straight and it would have hit if they were fighting someone that hadn't had such a great amount of practice. The man deflected the blade with his katana and smirked darkly at the kids. He reached up with his other hand and covered the copy-wheel in his right eye.

"I think I should teach you a lesson." The man said in the quiet dead voice of his. Miska for some reason suddenly shut her eyes tight and cringed. The black cloak was going to hurt them….Tou-san and Kaa-san were too far away…

"Tsukuyomi…"

Miska felt the man's chakra intensify, but she didn't dare open her eyes. That was until she felt Mino hit the ground in front of her. She peeked open and saw her brother, on his knees, unable to tear his eyes away from the Black Cloak.

"Mino!"

"_Copy-wheel's use illusions…" _Miska reached forward and wrapped her arms protectively around Mino, while avoiding eye contact with the man still in front of them. "_If he's the real one I can't dispel him. If he's a clone and I can hurt him, he'll disappear and so will the illusion…But how can I touch him? He's way stronger than us…" _

She took one quick glance up at the Black Cloak, standing just ahead of them now, glaring down at them like they were rodents. This wasn't happening! First Tou-san had left them and then Kaa-san and Otooji….then Kiro darted off after Kaa-san and Otooji. She knew they were supposed to go to the safe spot, but why didn't someone stay with them? Why didn't anyone sense the clone?

"Now then, what to do with you two." The man began taking more steps forward. Miska felt the tears stinging her eyes. This wasn't right. They couldn't fight this man! Kouka had begun to snarl, his little needle teeth bared at the Black Cloak. All four of his little tails were erect and his ears were raised, as if Kouka was trying to make himself look bigger, more threatening than he really was. The man merely shoved the little fox away with his chakra and kept towards the two girls.

She did the only thing she knew how to do when they were threatened and raised her head back and howled. She did so through tears and she knew it would not sound right, but she had to try to find something to help her. Where was the pack? Where were Kiro and Kuroi?

"Be quiet you pest…" the man was raising his hand, ready to strike her and she shut her eyes while hugging Mino closer to her.

"Aneue that sounded like a summoning." Rena whispered behind her and Miska felt the earth rock just right in front of them. Why was the man going to use a summons on them? They weren't a threat, they couldn't really hurt him, and they were just kids….

"You again." The man whispered and Miska peered here eyes open again.

A large red frog sat in front of them now, with armor and a sword held defensively in front of them. The Black Cloak's attention was now turned to just over his shoulder. Miska blinked and turned her attention that way as well. A man stood there, with white long hair and odd clothing, and odd shoes on his feet. He had his arms crossed and he looked really mad….on his shoulder a little older looking frog sat looking just as stern as the man did.

"Honestly, picking on small children now? You really have lost your mind…"

"Jiraiya." The Black Cloak growled out and turned his attention fully towards the man.

"Konoha has seen it fit to drag your ass back to the Village to face prosecution for your crimes." The white haired man said stone faced. "I much rather end it here and save us all the trouble."

In a puff the Black Cloak disappeared. Miska straightened a bit; this one had been the clone. She glanced down at Mino and frowned when the faraway look in his eyes didn't fade and Mino didn't start yelling about being put into a stupid illusion.

"Mino…" she shook him a little. When he didn't answer her she shook him harder. "Sonkei wake up!"

Rena began tugging hard on her shirt. "Aneue…Aneue!"

Miska looked back to Rena who pointed up and she whirled around to see the white-haired man walking towards them now. She could now see the red lines drawn down from his eyes and the way he was looking at them now…it was not like the Black Cloak but more solemn as he approached them.

Miska could not take the chance though; she pulled her own kunai and stood till she was in front of both Mino and Rena. She took the defensive stance Otooji had shown her and began to growl as threateningly as she could. It stopped the man in his tracks but he merely knelt down, balancing on the odd shoes of his and he bowed his head to her.

"Do not worry little one, I won't hurt you or your siblings." He smiled a little as he raised his head and met eyes with hers. The larger toad disappeared much like the clone of the Black Cloak had and left merely the man and the older frog on his shoulder. "Are you hurt?"

Miska bit her lip and looked behind her to Mino. Should she trust the man or should she just try to drive him off? _No wait…Tou-san told us stories…about toads. About the Toad Summoner and his Frogs…_she took another look up at the older man and saw he was frowning as he looked behind her to Mino. "Are…are you the Toad Sannin?"

He blinked a bit and brought his gaze back to her. "Why yes!" he beamed. "Yes I am! How did you know that?" Miska merely pointed at the little frog on his shoulder, and the man began to laugh and rub at his spiky white hair.

"Toad-Sannin-sama." Miska lowered her defenses a fraction. "Do you know about Gen...Genjutsu? It didn't end when the clone went away and it should have…."

The man's face turned serious again and he looked back at Mino. "Ah, yes, well the Uchiha have a special kind of Genjutsu that is very hard to dispel." He reached out a hand to touch Mino but Miska cut him off and began to growl. "I won't harm him, little one; I just want to see if that's what he used."

Miska felt Rena's hands grip her shirt again and she stood back a little while the older man put his hand on Mino's forehead. Miska could see the chakra wave the man pushed through his fingertips and into Mino but the result was the same, Mino kept staring forward like he wasn't even aware that there was a stranger touching him.

"Aneue, why doesn't Sonkei wake up?" Rena whispered and Miska shook her head.

"I don't know Rena-chan."

The white haired man was looking up to them again. "Where are your parents?"

Miska froze. What if this was a Black Cloak in disguise? Unfortunately for her, Rena wasn't quite as able to recognize a threat. "They are fighting, the Black Cloaks came."

"Oh they did? Do you know why they came here?"

"Because of Tou-san."

"Rena!" Miska snapped and instantly regretted it when Rena flinched and hid her face.

"Rena-chan…" the man pressed a little. "Are they after your Tou-san?"

"Yes." Miska sighed; it was already out of the bag so why bother anymore. Kaa-san was going to be so ticked off that they had let this man get this far and had said so much. They really needed to settle down and stop playing games and learn their lessons from Kiro.

"Because he is a Jinchuuriki?"

"Because he's the Kyuubi." Miska nodded a little. She frowned as the man nodded his head a little and seemed to pet Mino slightly. He looked somewhat sad all the sudden. That was not the reaction that she would have expected from a Black Cloak. Was this really the Toad Summoner that her father would tell those stories about?

"And how did you know who I was?" he was picking up Mino now, cradling him in his large arms. Miska could only frown as he did so, not so sure she could wrestle her brother away from the man if he decided to use Mino as bait for their parents.

"Tou-san tells us stories." Rena whimpered. "The Summoner and the Toads…"

The man began to laugh as he started walking back the way they had come, towards the huge chakra's they had been fleeing from beforehand. "Well let's go find your parents, I bet they are worried about you three."

"They taught us to go to the rocks." Miska stood firm and held on to Rena's sleeve to prevent her from following the man. "We are supposed to stay there until they come for us."

"Well I bet that those Black Cloaks are saying their clone has you, forcing them to decide something they wouldn't if they thought you were safe." The man nodded towards the area they had just left. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Miska bit her lip some more and wondered if she should trust the man. He hadn't made any moves to hurt Mino…and he did look a lot like the man that Tou-san described in his stories. He even summoned toads, just like the old Summoner. She glanced down at Rena, who was frowning up at her as well.

"Tou-san will hurt you if you try anything," she growled lowly in her throat as she dashed to catch up to the man. She didn't have a choice…the man had her brother.

* * *

As soon as Naruto had Sasuke out in the open he grinned to himself and turned to face the Uchiha. That same dead look he had seen in his old friend's eyes back in the Valley of the End was still present and much more profound. Sasuke stopped far enough to be a reactionary distance from Naruto but he seemed rather amused by this tactic.

Naruto flipped another kunai into his free hand and held them both in front of his face in a ready position.

"You can't be serious." Sasuke was snorting as he brushed his hair away from his face, revealing more of his Sharingan to Naruto.

"What? Afraid I'll beat you?" Naruto smirked as he pulled a bit on his extra chakra reserves, allowing himself to pull more on his gained chakra than his native chakra. Using Wind type elements against a Fire user was not the wisest of ideas but he had a few tricks that would be hard for the Uchiha to block.

That was his role in this pack anyway…big, area covering, jutsu that would force the enemy back. And he was a fox now, he knew how to trick and confuse his enemy, and he would wait to pull his trump card until Sasuke was within a comfortable distance.

He subconsciously threw some chakra at his feet and pushed off from his ready position to flying towards the Uchiha with his kunai out. They clashed and exchanged a few blows before both of them separated and landed a few feet away from each other. Naruto flung one of his kunai at the man's head, straight for one of his eyes, and followed behind the kunai with a speed he knew he hadn't had when he was younger.

Seeing the slight widening of Sasuke's eyes he knew that Sasuke understood it too.

He darted out just before reaching Sasuke and tried coming from above, but again the Uchiha blocked and they stared at one another as their lips curled up in identical snarls.

"Not quite a dobe anymore…." Sasuke growled angrily. "I guess that means I better step it up…"

Sasuke's hands flew through hand signs, most of which Naruto could not follow. It was a speed he had only seen Hatake Kakashi use for hand seals, but then again Sasuke had always been the favorite, hadn't he? He smiled though, he had seen the Tiger hand sign clearly enough to know this was going to be a fire-based attack on his person, not lightning.

"Gouryuuka no Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled before he began to blow out dragon heads of fire out of his mouth. Naruto merely straightened and let them come. As they neared he smirked and formed his own hand seals, ending in Tiger and opening his mouth. There was only a mist that came out, but once the dragon heads hit it they erupted prematurely into flame, without even touching Naruto.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Teme!"

Sasuke was pissed. He could see the rage building behind that stone faced glare. Naruto smirked to himself. This was a matter of pride for Sasuke which made him easier to bait. This was a matter of protection for him. Instead of waiting for the Uchiha, he decided to take the offensive.

He did several flips backwards, doing hand seals as his back was pointed towards Sasuke, not his hands. Best way to disable the sharingan was plainly to not let the user see your hands. He could read your movements still but without seeing the hand signs he'd not know what to expect other than that Naruto was trying to mold his chakra.

Naruto used his last footfall to leap up high into the air. He ended his string of signs with the Ox sign, and released what he wanted. "Fuuton: Three Tails Maelstrom!"

Three large tornados dropped from the air, looking a lot like tails falling from the sky. They began to swirl and spin, tearing up the earth beneath him, and more importantly putting out the flame of the dragon heads from earlier. Sasuke was bracing himself; the high winds were flattening all the grass around and blowing away any dead or dying saplings that were trying to start in the grasslands.

Finally the Akatsuki member lost his footing and he flew back a bit, but he quickly recovered and tossed up a few kunai to Naruto's position. It forced Naruto break his concentration and thus release the whirlwinds. He dodged and landed a few steps from Sasuke. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he formed about twenty different clones and they all went their ways. He was going in close now.

Sasuke smirked evilly, thinking that Naruto was resorting to old tactics but what he was really doing was awakening his trump; one that he knew was going to enrage the Uchiha. Sasuke began dispatching the clones that went at him, using simple taijutsu or fireballs of smaller caliber than the dragon-formed ones.

Finally he felt it and he moved in with another batch of the clones, finally catching Sasuke from behind, but finding himself blocked by the katana blade Sasuke now used. He was glaring at him, from over his shoulder but Naruto was satisfied when he saw his eyes go wide, glaring into Naruto's eyes.

"Maybe I should show you how to use that bloodline limit of yours Teme." Naruto snarled, widening his eyes revealing the two perfectly formed Sharingan of his own, staring down Sasuke with the full brunt of the Kyuubi's stolen chakra. "You seem to have forgotten how to use it to look underneath the underneath…."

"You BASTARD!" Sasuke screamed and suddenly the whole of the Uchiha's body was crackling with Lightning. Naruto flipped backwards and crouched low to the ground, observing just how far Sasuke had abused and perverted their Sensei's jutsu. He wondered if Kakashi knew about this and regretted his teaching the last survivor of the Uchiha. "What kind of trick is this?!"

Naruto only smiled, the idiot's smile, and stood up to face the Uchiha. While he did he allowed his tails to form, but instead of the familiar red they once were, they were now blue, with red almost-ribbon like accents of chakra around them. He let all nine come forward, knowing it was the best way to show the Uchiha just what he was faced with.

"It is no trick, Teme." He smirked, watching the shocked and infuriated look that now crossed the Akatsuki's face. "I am the Kyuubi no Yoko…the Nine-Tailed. That damn fox granted me his title and his chakra. And I also got this lovely parting gift, don't you like it?" Naruto opened his eyes to face Sasuke again. "That bloodline limit of yours….was born from the Kyuubi's Eye, the Fox's Gift to your clan many generations ago. Since it was once his eye, it is now my eye as well."

Each word he muttered seemed to push Sasuke just a little more towards the edge. The lightning seemed to reach a little bit further. Naruto only smiled to himself, satisfied with what he was able to do to the Uchiha even now.

"I am not the 'dobe' you once knew, Teme. I gave up on you a long time ago. I found the Demon Clans much more to my liking than the type of Clans your family was brought up as."

Sasuke seemed to be calming himself in some ways but his killing intent was now so thick in the air, it weighed on him a little bit, but then again the Uchiha was always so intense even in the academy. He would just have to step up himself and start throwing his Chakra around.

"That seal you once had….the one the Fourth Hokage used to stop the demon….it is no longer there is it?" Sasuke growled. His Sharingan had changed slightly, to a pattern that was no longer just tomes and red. The tomes had come together in a kaleidoscope pattern.

"Hai…the demon fox is out of your reach." Naruto smirked. "In a sense I killed the fox before Akatsuki could claim him. It makes your mission almost pointless. But I can probably guess…you weren't ever really in it for the Bijuu and the Akatsuki anyway were you?"

Sasuke laughed…and then started laughing more. It sounded just like Orochimaru when he thought he was on the winning side. His head was thrown back and the laughter sounded more evil than in any demon Naruto had ever heard. He growled lowly in his throat, sifting through the memories he now had. Uchiha Madara, he had once been like this, and he had been the one to awaken the Kyuubi.

Was the Uchiha Clan destined for madness the moment Kyuubi had bestowed that eye upon them? Or had they always been that way and that was why the Kyuubi chose them.

"So you were never really an idiot were you?" Sasuke snarled in his general direction. Something in his eyes turned wicked and Naruto blinked in confusion. "That boy of yours….he seems pretty smart too. He was quick to notice a Shadow Clone when he saw one."

Naruto went stiff and his eyes traveled back to the forest. That was impossible; they hadn't sensed another member with the two Akatsuki. The wolves hadn't reacted either. Nothing got past their noses…did it?

"And you are right. I only joined so I could steal their secrets. I know the truth now, about Itachi and Konohagakure." Sasuke's tone was so much darker; each word intensified the feeling of the chakra around them.

If anyone thought that the most sinister thing they were going to meet was a demon they were wrong… a crazed Uchiha might possibly be the highest thing among Naruto's list.

"Konohagakure will fall for what they did to my Clan." Sasuke cursed.

Naruto put his attention back on Sasuke. He'd have to hope that Kiro was still with the kits and not alone. If a shadow clone happened upon them like Sasuke was letting on to, Kiro would easily deal with it.

But if they were alone….

"Always the Avenger, eh Sasuke?" he began to say calmly. "Never enough to quench that thirst of yours? To think I was dumb enough to defend you, to say you weren't a thing like Orochimaru…I guess I really am a dobe."

Sasuke bit into his thumb. His hands slammed down and soon Naruto was staring up a huge snake. A summoning technique….one of Orochimaru's summoning techniques. Well no getting around that at the moment. He scrapped a long nail against his shoulder, where a black mark for Kitsune was now marred into the skin.

He slammed his own hand into the ground and summoned Mota, Kota's older sister from the Fox Clan. She still was the same red fox with black markings, but the difference was how much chakra he had used to summon the demon fox. She now matched the giant snake in size. She began to snarl and her fur began to bristle.

"Kitsune-sama!" she growled beneath him. "Why have you brought me here, Foxes hate snakes!?"

"Gomen, Mota-sama." He leaned down and patted the fur between her elongated ears. "I had no other choice; Kota-sama is protecting my kits."

The fox seemed to shudder in reality she was probably adjusting to the chakra boost. "Very well, Kitsune-sama…then let us finish this quickly."

Mota began to rush forward towards the large brown snake Sasuke stood upon. Naruto began forming his chakra into his right palm, spinning and condensing the Rasengan in his hand. Once he had it to the size he wanted he began using his Wind Element on it, forming a ball that looked like it had spikes flying out of it.

Mota dug her sharp canines into the Snake's neck, just behind its head. The snake hissed loudly and began to thrash, forcing Naruto to steady himself on Mota's head. He saw Sasuke atop the snake's head, a formal looking Chidori in his hands, wild red eyes staring at him as they both flew at one another.

It was just like the Valley of the End.

But Naruto at the last second, aimed downward with his Fuuton: Rasengan and hit the snake's head. The Snake exploded in a wild hissing fit and Mota jumped away as Naruto flew towards the ground. The winds whipped his hair so violently, and he felt some of the stings of his jutsu tear into his skin, but it would not harm him too much. Just cuts and abrasions, that was all.

He caught Sasuke's eye as they were falling…that mad look still present in the Akatsuki's eyes. Naruto snarled and yelled out at his former teammate.

And then he was gone. The dirt that flew up from the impact caused Naruto to brace himself and barricade his eyes behind his arms. And he felt the heavy, maddening chakra beginning to move away from him. He snarled and looked up into the whirlwinds of dust and debris. He wasn't about to let Sasuke walk away from this…he had come into his home and threatened his peace.

But he was already using the cover of the same debris to flee and Naruto finally resigned himself to let him go. He had more important matters to attend to…specifically finding the twins and Rena. He hoped…no prayed…that Sasuke was bluffing. That he hadn't really sent in a shadow clone.

_But then his statement would have been untrue. Mino can recognize a shadow clone technique. _

He came to the tree line and began whistling loudly for Kota. The golden yellow fox came limping up to him, about part way into his run and he stopped dead. What Sasuke said was true…

"I am sorry Naruto-sama…the copy-wheel user was too fast. I could not stop him…."

"Ren'ai!!!"

Naruto jerked his head around to see Ryo and Raj and the wolf alphas heading towards him from the other direction, the direction he had seen Rajan maneuvering Kisame in. The dread in his gut intensified drastically.

"Kiro!" he barked, and he realized his tails were still out in some form because the old wolf bowed his head to him in that odd show of reverence. "What the hell? I thought you were with the kits."

The wolf blinked at him and shook his head. "They began to do as we planned them to do Kitsune; they began to head for the training field. I saw no need to babysit them when it was you three that needed the pack's aid."

"Sonkei?"

"That bastard sent a shadow clone after them." He was growling, he knew he was.

"The copy-wheel user…" Raj was starting to say…

"I didn't sense anyone other than them, Kitsune, he must have been bluffing."

"No he wasn't."

The new voice forced all three of them to react; they turned and brandished weapons towards the newest of invaders upon their soil. Ryo was about to start forward, to attack this new threat, when out of the trees came Miska.

"Tou-san!" she cried and latched herself onto Naruto's leg. She snuggled her hair into his pants and grasped on like she was drowning in water. "Stop Tou-san, he helped us, he's not a bad man."

Naruto's head jerked back up to face the person who had spoken. Slowly, a form came out of the trees, he was carrying Mino and Rena was timidly hiding behind him clutching Kouka in a death grip.

Ryo and Raj began to snarl viciously at the man but Naruto felt his limbs go limp and he stared hard at the imposing figure that stepped forward from the shadows.

"It's the summoner you used to tell us about, Tou-san." Miska continued to beg for the man, and turned her eyes to her mother and uncle. "He didn't hurt us, the copy-wheel did. He did something to Mino-kun…"

Ryo and Raj looked back over to Naruto, their mismatched eyes looking to him for confirmation of what Miska had said. Naruto couldn't even turn his gaze away. All he could do was face the older man.

"It's been a long time...Ero-Sannin."

The older man smiled sadly at him and nodded his head, closing his eyes. "It sure has…Naruto."

Ryo straightened first, slowly losing her grip on her kunai. She still held the wariness that she always held after a fight but she had acknowledged that Naruto indeed knew the man and did not see him as a threat.

Rajan slumped against a tree, chuckling a bit. "Ero-sannin…what a name." he was saying between gulps of air. Naruto seemed to realize then that Raj was hurt and turned his attention away. "Oy Sonkei, you know some people…"

"Otooji!" Miska and Rena both seemed to notice at the same time and rushed forward towards their uncle.

"Nani? Oh this… don't worry about it! Old Otooji just needs a good couple days of rest…"

"And stitches." Ryo was snarling in annoyance.

"Sonkei…"

"Oy, Sonkei don't worry about it, really. Shark was a bit faster on his feet than I thought him to be." Raj waved him off and pointed towards the Sannin in their territory. "I think we got bigger problems than me bleeding a few buckets."

Miska nodded and turned to face her Tou-san with tear-filled eyes. "The Copy-Wheel user did some kind of weird Genjutsu, Tou-san. I can't wake up Mino! Even when the clone went away the illusion didn't end. Even Toad-Sannin-Sama tried and it didn't work."

"Sonkei won't wake up." Rena was nodding alongside her sister. "Fix it Tou-san."

Naruto frowned and walked up to Jiraiya, who kept himself just far enough from them and the wolves standing nearby. He had Mino cradled gently in his arms and he knew the old man wouldn't hurt the boy, or him, so he moved.

"He took a full brunt of a Tsukuyomi. I don't know what that Uchiha bastard did but it was hard to detect the Clone's presence, even for your….friends." he nodded his head towards Rena and more specifically Kouka. "I can't release that."

Ryo was coming up beside Naruto, her eye searching Mino's face for some form of recognition and Naruto suspected she was trying any tricks she knew to releasing genjutsu. "Neither can I." her eyes turned to Naruto, pleading.

"Young lady!" the older frog on Jiraiya's shoulder spoke up rather suddenly. "What did you just use now?"

Ryoki blinked, took in the small frog, and then bowed her head to the frog. "I apologize, Toad-sama. I did not see you there. I am Ryoki of the Demon Wolf Clan….what I used just now was what you toads normally call Natural Energies."

Her answer struck Jiraiya as well. He shared a look with the frog and then they both looked back at Ryoki. "Please, call me Fukasaku. You know how to shape natural energies?"

"Yes, Fukasaku-sama." Ryoki turned back to Naruto and again pleaded with him. "You've gained the copy-wheel from your acquisition of the Kyuubi's chakra and memories…you can't do anything about this?"

"The Tsukuyomi is not one of the original abilities of the Sharingan. It was a bastardization of the eye by the Uchiha Clan." Naruto frowned and reached out to pet Mino. "I don't know how to fix this."

"But Tou-san you have to!" Miska cried from behind them.

"I only know one person who could release this besides another Uchiha…." Naruto frowned and hung his head. His past really was catching up to him, and at such a break-neck speed he couldn't quite wrap his head around it enough to make sense out of it.

"Then you should seek this person out." Kiro was the one that broke the silence that had fallen. "I would be safe to assume that this person is in your old den…"

Ryo seemed to go stiff at the mention of this, but Naruto nodded. "Hai."

"Then you should go." Kiro began to melt away into the trees around them. "Your time has come, Kitsune."

**Words and Meanings**

**Kitsune - **fox  
**Ookami - **wolf  
**Kami - **god  
**Ren'ai - **love, affections  
**Sonkei - **elder brother  
**Aneue - **elder sister  
**Otooji - **uncle  
**Tou-san - **slang version of Father  
**Kaa-san - **slang version of Mother  
**Kiro - **crossroads, one's way  
**Kuroi - **black  
**Kyuubi - **nine, also the name that the Demon Fox Spirit is known by  
**Yoko - **beside, width  
**Gobi - **five  
**Houkou -** direction, yell, howl, also the name that the Demon Wolf Spirit is known by  
**Akatsuki - **dawn, organization chasing Bijuu  
**Samehada - **pretty much translates into Shark Skin.  
**Gouryuuka no Jutsu - **Great Dragon Fire Technique  
**Fuuton - **Wind Element  
**Suiton - **Water Element  
**Doton - **Earth Element


	6. Of Clans and Packs

**The Strength of the Wolf**

**Chapter 5: ** Of Clans and Packs

**Chapter Summary**: Wolves and Humans are not so different really. They both enjoy the companionship of their kin, they form tight bonds of family and friendship, and so if you look very closely, you will see the pack of humans and the traits of humanity among the fur. It is not too hard to blur the line between pack and clan…and yet the line seems so very clear cut to those who have never known the trappings of human life.

**Author Note:** Okay in this chapter you will start to see something new. Since not everyone can understand demon Tongue and not all demons talk like Kiro/Kyuubi/Kuroi…etc… their speech will be denoted with _**BOLD ITALIC**_lettering, and please take that to stand as only the "clan" can understand them. To the rest of the world it will sound like snarls and growls. That is all, please enjoy chapter 5.

**Author Note x2:** There is nothing like a new Manga Chapter going up to reinvigorate the imagination ;) …..sorry had to share my excitement over 433 ;) Oh and sorry for the week long hiatus here, I had planned to write this section faster but as it turns out, I need to have a root canal done and the earliest they can get me in is Friday…… it hurts like a mo-fo and it is hard to concentrate and immerse yourself into something like this when your tooth is screaming bloody murder.

_The Wolf changes his coat, but not his disposition. – Proverb_

_

* * *

_

He had always forgotten the climate in Fire Country always seemed to be a bit warmer than the northern countries he had grown acclimated too. Naruto was eager to blame the increase in temperature for his unease, but inside he knew better. It was nice to blame the heat though…

"Tou-san…."

Naruto fought hard to not flinch at the tone in Miska's voice. There was a fear inside the once bold and confident five-year-olds speech, and Miska had never been one to be afraid. He was trying to ignore the questioning lilt to his honorific, but it was too damn hard to and he finally sighed and glanced down at his daughter. She was watching behind them both, her body curled up next to his side, as Kiro and Kuroi were talking quietly with Rajan and Ryoki.

"Why are Kiro and Kuroi stopping here?"

"They have to go back to the tree Miska-chan."

Though Kuroi had volunteered to serve as Rajan's legs for this journey, Naruto was surprised they come this far into Fire. Rajan was a bit more hurt than they were letting on to the kids, and yet Kiro and Kuroi were now deciding this was far enough. And by Ryo's and Raj's stances, the conversation they were having was not a pleasant one. Both older twins had their heads bowed in reverence to the two huge demon wolves and neither one had moved that much since they had broken themselves away from the rest of the traveling pack.

Kota was also standing with the pair of wolves, but Naruto already knew the golden fox would be returning to the dens in which he had pulled him from several years prior. The Demon Foxes lived in Fire Country, and he could summon Kota whenever he really needed him. Still, it was kind of sad to see the 3-tailed fox leaving. He was like a little brother he had to protect….

"But why? Otooji is still hurt…he still needs Kuroi."

"Kaa-san and I can help Otooji from here. We're not far from the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Naruto frowned and turned his eyes to the little boy seemingly asleep in his arms. Mino was not actually asleep he was under the effects of that bastard Uchiha's genjutsu.

"Kota's going to." Rena whispered, her grip on her own fox, Kouka, had not loosened more than a fraction the past few days that they had been on the trails, going as fast as the kids would allow them towards Konoha.

"They are too large to go where we are going." Naruto tried to explain without really getting into the specifics.

His gaze found itself on Jiraiya, silently watching from his side of the fire. Naruto had been, at first, a little surprised by the man's presence in Grass. But after Jiraiya explained what decision had been handed down in Konoha, it had made more sense. No one else would want to 'kill' the Uchiha and Jiraiya had a better chance of running across the Uchiha's trail. He'd already been a good eye for Akatsuki, keeping tabs on their movements and their targets.

But what had really surprised him the most the most was the easy acceptance the man had shown towards him. He had yet to ask Naruto what had happened, why it happened, or why he had not come forward or asked for help. He had just smiled forlornly and commented on how proud he was that Naruto had landed himself a hot little number.

It sounded forced to Naruto, and Jiraiya did not ogle Ryoki like he had seen him do to countless other women on their short trips together and he wondered if maybe it was out of respect, seeing as Ryoki was the mother of his children. Or it might be something else, he could quite shake the feeling that the perv was looking at him constantly, like he was trying to see something that wasn't there.

Ryoki was helping Rajan back to the camp now, the large demons melting into the shadows around them. Ryoki waited till Rajan landed like a log next to Jiraiya and fell back into the dirt, and then she sat herself to Naruto's other side and leaned heavily against him. Naruto knew what had just transpired but it did not make the transition any easier. Rajan began snoring loudly, Rajan was still Rajan….

"Kaa-san what's wrong?"

Naruto was really starting to get concerned with Miska's nervousness. He had not been expecting her to pick up on the change in dynamics or for her to be frightened by the change of scenery. He would have hazarded a guess, before all of this had happened, that the kids would be excited to see some place other than Dorsa. They had miscalculated though. This sudden change right after the first time they had seen an actual fight between the adults and other adults, probably had triggered a new emotion for the girls. And they did not like this change.

"Nothing is wrong Miska-chan." Ryo smiled and reached over to ruffle her hair lightly. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Miska completely avoided the question and went back to looking to where the demons had once been. "Kiro and Kuroi left without saying anything… Why did they leave?"

Ryo sighed heavily and Naruto frowned. She was going to tell Miska the truth, Ryo was not the type of person to hold anything back despite the kind of hurt it would inflict.

"They are going back to the tree, Miska. It is where they belong."

"But…"

"We are headed to the human village in Fire." Ryo cut her off and stared off into the fire in front of them. "We are going to be asking the Fire Hokage, their leader, to help us free Mino from this Genjutsu. In return we must have some form of repayment for her help."

Miska sat transfixed by Ryo's words, maybe just slightly awed by the tone Ryoki took with her, treating her like she would Rajan or Naruto, instead of treating her like a child, which Naruto had been doing. "As such we only have our skills to offer, Miska-chan. So we will be staying for a bit in the human village. Humans do not like Demons, Miska. They fear them; they react badly towards them. Kiro, Kuroi , and Kota cannot follow us to where we are going."

"Kaa-san…"

"And we belong with humans, Miska." Ryo now hung her own head, just so the loose strands would hide her face.

Naruto sighed as well. He knew this was going to be much harder for Ryoki than it would be for Miska or Rena in the end. Kiro had always hinted that at some point, the three of them would have to figure out the side of them that was human. Rajan and Ryoki had spent twenty-three years of their lives with the demon pack. No matter what the twins thought, or told others they thought, there was the demon wolf in them. They thought the way wolves did. They acted the way wolves did.

Ryo had always been Houkou's "little wolf", hell it was even her nickname to the clients that they had a good enough relationship with. Ryo was a wolf, by her own admission. Rajan would probably adapt quicker than she would to being around 'humans' as much as they were probably going to be in the next day or two.

He feared Ryoki was going to be a rough mess. They never spent more than a few days in Dorsa and when they were on jobs they kept out of sight. The only humans they were used to being around were each other.

"Kiro's right, we must learn to be with our own kind now." Ryo smiled as she pulled Miska into her lap.

"But I liked it at the tree, Kaa-san…" Miska protested. "I liked being a wolf…"

Naruto frowned and took a quick glance at Rena, now wide awake and listening to this particular conversation. She probably only understood one thing about most of it and that was demons weren't liked by humans. That may mean something would happen to Kouka. The little four tails had decided to stay with their group longer, for Rena's sake, but once they hit Konoha the fox was going to have to think of something else.

"We have to do this for Mino-kun" Ryo hugged the little girl tightly. "Do not be afraid, we would not let anything happen to you."

Miska was quiet finally, hugging tightly to Ryo's chest and eyes distant and unseeing out into the darkness. Even though she seemed satisfied with this explanation Naruto could see the gears in her head turning. Mino and Miska were smart enough to realize that something was wrong in their reasoning. Mino was unconscious though, so that left Miska to figure it out on her own.

"Kaa-san, if they don't like demons…won't they try to hurt Tou-san?"

And there it was. Even knowing the realization would come quickly it did not stop any of the flinching on his part. The twins always saw the way the lower wolves treated him, how Kouka and Kota addressed him, they knew about the Demon Fox Spirit and what transpired between him and the demon.

"Miska, they can't hurt me anymore…" Naruto mumbled, a steady eye finding its way back to Jiraiya, who was quietly soaking in their attempts to cajole their daughter. "And I am not really a demon."

"Anymore? You mean they did before?"

Naruto face palmed and shook his head. He had worded that wrong and hadn't thought to stop himself.

"Tou-san used to live in the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Ryo quieted her. "Yes they used to hurt him because they feared the Demon Fox, but that was before Tou-san had control over the Kyuubi. He is not a demon Miska, none of are, we just were honored enough to live with them for a time."

Miska took this as her cue to quiet and she curled up in Ryo's lap, eager for the safety she did not quite feel anymore. Rena had attached herself to Naruto's leg, with Kouka trapped between them. Silence prevailed until it seemed that all of the kits were asleep. It was then that Ryo's eyes met his and he saw the same fear he had once saw right before the twins were born.

"Ren'ai…."

"Kiro is right." Ryo answered automatically. "Look at what we were going to do to them. We had to become wolves to survive, they did not. And they still thought…"

"What's wrong with being that way? It's how we lived, there's nothing wrong with it." Naruto nodded a little. "Hell, I'm scared too. What if they inadvertently mistake Mino for me, what if they want my head on a platter…there are about a hundred different problems with this…"

"I am curious…." Jiraiya decided to interrupt their little panic attack. "About this whole 'clan' thing you have with the wolves. Were you abandoned because of your eyes?"

"My brother and I were abandoned when Rock Ninja slaughtered the merchant band we were born into." Ryo growled lowly. "The wolves took us in because of their clan head,"

"The Gobi." Jiraiya put in for himself.

"Hai."

"There's a lot of tradition and history here, Ero-sannin." Naruto decided to stop the coming history lesson. "But really when you start to get a handle on it, it all makes sense."

"The Sage Toads used to always talk about the old days." Jiraiya reached into his pack and pulled out a small smoking pipe. Naruto smirked a little, seeing Jiraiya fall into an old habit like that one. "How the Summons and the Ninja used to live side by side…"

"And the demons." Rajan muttered incoherently from beside Jiraiya. The older man blinked down at him and then laughed a little.

"So all those myths and tales, the ones you have to really dig for, are probably true."

"All myths have some seeds of truth." Ryoki nodded.

"To think you two survived all that time with just wolves around you…" Jiraiya murmured to himself.

"It isn't the harsh life many would think of it." Ryo sighed and leaned back over to Naruto. "Ren'ai…."

"Go to sleep, Roki. I'll keep watch."

Ryo followed his advice, tightening her hold on Miska and closing her eyes to the world around her. Naruto waited and took a deep steadying breath before meeting eyes with the Sannin across from him.

"You haven't said much."

"What's there to say, kid?" Jiraiya mouthed the pipe as smoke began to finally be produced by the tobacco inside. "I can take a wild guess at what pushed you over the edge and I can take a wild guess that it wasn't the first thing that made you think that no one in Konoha wanted you around. And from where I'm sitting it might have been for the best. You're one of the most talked about Northern teams of ninja, even though you don't have an affiliation, you're a walking mass of chakra that would probably take weeks, if not months, to burn down, and you have a family. You're happy aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Well then what's there to say?"

"I betrayed Konoha. I did exactly what Uchiha did…"

"But for entirely different reasons. Uchiha sought power, and everyone presented him with plenty of opportunity on a silver platter. You sought peace, having never really had much in your life."

"I'm not too sure people would agree with you though." Naruto glanced down at Mino, fearing the carbon copy looks that stared back up at him.

Jiraiya took a long drag of the pipe and let the smoke leek slowly from his mouth before closing his eyes and sighing. "Kid, I won't lie to you, this stunt you pulled hurt a lot of people. I don't think you realized just how many people would miss your presence. Tsunade…she.."

Naruto winced at the woman's name and hung his head. "Kami, I nearly broke her didn't I?"

"Damn near to it, yes." Jiraiya nodded. "You looked and acted too much like her brother for her not to get attached. But because of this, she politically wrangled the old coots out of the supervisory roles and she now answers more directly to a council of the clans of Konoha. Hell, they even uprooted ROOT. That little kunochi friend of yours, she put herself through Tsunade's training to become almost a second little Hime."

Naruto smirked at the thought of Sakura. He could hardly imagine her going through with something like that. Imagine the type of training regime someone like the Godaime had…and then going through it being taught by the person herself. He always kind of thought Sakura had the same temperament as Tsunade-baa-chan, but now they matched in skill as well.

"Kakashi, he looked the longest."

Naruto's head shot back up to glare at the Sannin. That was some kind of cruel….wait he was telling the truth. Kakashi actually looked for him?

"Honestly, I think he still does." Jiraiya laughed some. "He and I are the only ones that did not think you were dead. Kid lost too much when he was younger…all he had was you three. Now he's only got the one of you. And I think he reports to that Umino guy from the Academy."

Oh that was a low shot. Naruto felt the pain lace up from his gut and he acknowledged the gut-wrenching guilt for what it was. Iruka was the one person he feared the most for out of all of them. He knew what his leaving would have done to him.

"Most of the Rookies were adamant to go out and find you, but you know how the numbers were back then. It couldn't be spared." Jiraiya finally stopped and smirked over at Naruto. "So don't be too scared, Kid. Civilians might be a pain in the ass, but like you said yourself. They can't hurt you anymore."

Naruto ran his hands through Mino's hair, quietly wishing that it would wake the boy from his slumber and cause Mino to yell at him for being so touchy/feely. But it didn't happen and Mino just lay quietly in his lap.

Despite the worry he felt that itch, that calling, it was easy to fall back into old routines. "You know…I'm not a kid anymore."

Jiraiya snorted. "Humph, I'm a sixty-six year old man; you'll be a kid to me no matter how old you get. Hatake is still a kid in my eyes."

Naruto found himself laughing at the thought of Kakashi as a kid. "Oh I guess I'll let it slide…you are an old man I guess."

"Damn right."

"Wait until I tell Rajan who you really are." Naruto looked over to Rajan and smiled fondly. "Sonkei is a big fan…Ero-sannin."

"Oh? Another who appreciates my art?" Jiraiya smiled down at Rajan as well.

"Pft, art. Peeping is what I call it."

"Coming from the man sleeping with that." Jiraiya tipped his pipe somewhat towards Ryoki. "Dear lord boy, how long did it take you to catch her?"

"She caught me." Naruto scratched at his neck but smiled as he snuggled closer to Ryo. "Which trust me, is a lot more fun."

Jiraiya only laughed and nodded his head at Naruto's statement. Naruto found himself wrapping his arm around Ryoki's shoulders and cuddled closer to her and Miska, suddenly feeling very protective of 'his girls'. It seemed Jiraiya was going to be staying up a while so he figured he might as well sleep too. Konoha was only about a day away and he highly doubted he was going to be getting much sleep once they got there.

* * *

The gates of Konoha were just as Naruto remembered them, standing that day in the trees watching as they went shut in the darkness. Now they were opening, the travelers of the day were setting out and the ones that had missed their chance to get in during the night were moving forward.

Naruto stood off to the side of the wide dirt path that led into the village. Jiraiya had already started to walk, in his slow amble, and Rajan and Ryoki were doing the same, Raj leaning heavily on Ryo's shoulders, still a little weak from his brush with the Samehada of Hoshigaki Kisame. But Naruto stood in the trees, just beyond the path, staring up at the large gates with symbols painted on them.

"_Konohagakure…"_

He was back to the Leaf Village. Sixteen years after turning his back on this place, he had come back. His eyes traveled to Mino, still in his charge and still unawares of the change that had happened because of his run in with Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto had to admit something about this frightened him to the very core and his feet were refusing to budge from their place in the shade of the trees.

And of course, since he had not moved, the girls had not moved.

Miska was to his left, grasping the sleeve of his hooded sweater, since she could not hold his hand. Rena was to his right, holding Kouka tightly in her arms, the little fox's legs dangling down towards the ground. Naruto suddenly realized just how young all three of them were. It was easy to see them as their equals and their companions among the trees; they had free reign to do as they wanted and learn what tickled their fancy there. Ryoki was very good at treating them as such, she did not believe in coddling them any, that was how she was raised.

But now, Naruto could see it. Miska was five years old and this was a huge undertaking for someone who barely understood the outside world. All she knew was the wolves and her family, and this was uncharted territory for her. She did not have her brother for comfort; he was unconscious and unresponsive to her little prods and questions. Rena was even worse, she was only two and she did not understand anything that was happening beyond Sonkei and Otooji were hurt.

Both girls readily understood that Naruto was hesitating and his tension transferred to them like invisible threads.

"Oy! Sonkei!"

Naruto started when Rajan yelled loudly from ahead. He was standing with Jiraiya and Ryoki, just at the cusp of crossing through the gates. The older twins could also see Naruto's hesitation and he felt ashamed for his selfishness. Mino was just a few good jumps from being well again and he was standing there like a fence post preventing it from happening.

"You coming or what?"

"Shut up Raj!" he yelled back. He was aware of what Raj was trying to do, but it really did not help matters that Raj was drawing attention to them all. Naruto was not ready for there to be attention on him…not so soon.

"Come up here and make me Sonkei!" Raj bantered back. "Oh what, you don't like this idea anymore? Too late to change it now Naruto so get your ass moving!"

"You're a real jerk, Sonkei!" Naruto muttered before he realized that he was actually walking forward. Naruto steadied himself, straightened and continued forward. He smiled softly at Rena and Miska. "It's alright; we can get through this, hai? Tou-san won't let anything happen to you."

"What about you…" Miska whimpered and held more tightly to his shirt.

"Don't worry about that either. That's why I'm the adult." He laughed and grinned widely, trying his hardest to reassure his girls. He didn't want them to be afraid or even worse, worried about him. "I'm the one that gets to worry."

"But…"

"Miska-chan, trust me okay. It will be fine. And think about it? You've already met the Toad Summoner, there might be other people here you would want to meet."

They came to stand with Jiraiya and the older twins and Miska blinked up at Jiraiya in a quiet sort of awe. Naruto knew somewhere inside that broad shit-eating grin, Jiraiya was actually hopping around in joy. The girls looked to him like some mythical figure…he had used Jiraiya and a few other people as stories to help occupy the kids and keep them entertained out in the forests at night, when they weren't allowed to go too far from the tree. They didn't know yet just what a perv he was and if he had anything to do with it, they'd not know that until they were much, much older. They teased Raj about it, sure, but they didn't quite understand what it was they were calling their uncle.

"Rena…" Ryo said quietly and knelt down to Rena's level. "It is time. Kouka can't follow us here."

Rena winced and hugged Kouka tighter. "It's not fair, Kaa-san. Kouka was my present."

"I know, Rena. It's not fair of us, but you don't want anything to happen to Kouka do you?"

"No…"

"Then let Kouka go. He will go back to his den, with Kota-sama. We'll see them again sometime soon, I promise."

Slowly the little girl's grasp on the beige fennec fox started to loosen and Kouka dropped slowly to the ground. The Fennec drooped his ears as he chirped sadly up at Rena, now crying silently at the thought of losing her pet. Even though Kouka was not really a pet, he was a sentient demon who had allowed her to claim him as a pet.

"_**Rena-sama." **_He stood on his hind legs and nuzzled into Rena's chest. "_**I will stay nearby. Do not cry, little fox-kit. Kitsune-sama…." **_the dark eyes of the fox looked up at Naruto now. "_**Let me mark her. She won't be able to yet, but she can always summon me. I do not want to abandon her…." **_

Naruto nodded solemnly. And Kouka returned his attention to Rena. "_**Rena-sama, I will come when you call me." **_He reached out and gently put his paw on her right shoulder, his claws digging in slowly into her arm. Rena gasped a little but stood perfectly still as the fox in a sense 'branded' her with his own marking. "_**When you get strong enough you can call me like Kitsune-sama calls the heads. And like your Kaa-san calls the wolves."**_

"Kouka," Rena sniffed and wiped at her eyes with her left hand. "I don't want you to go."

"But he has to…" Ryo sighed and took Rena's hand. "You honor us Kouka-sama, may your journey be swift and quiet."

"_**Thank you, Little Wolf." **_Kouka bowed his head to the humans and then darted away into the trees, his tails barely a blur as the fox took off for safety.

Rena fingered her arm, now marked with the fox's symbol and still raw, as her mother led her through the gates, following Jiraiya's lead.

"I take it you all understood what that little fox was saying…" he asked as they all began their trek towards Hokage Tower.

"Hai, we can speak it as well." Rajan nodded. "Though I doubt that'd be a good idea, spewing nonsense words in front of the heads. Might think we're nuts or something…."

"You are nuts Rajan." Naruto frowned, ready to distract the kids by acting as they always did, poking and prodding each other with verbal insults. "What other explanation is there for your behavior other than that…."

"Oh look who's talking; Mr. scared of a gate….Seriously Sonkei, what was that?" Raj was responding to him, now untangling his arm from Ryoki's shoulder and limping between his sister and Naruto and the kids. "It's not like you to balk like that."

"Stuff it Raj, not everyone can just switch into 'lazy ass' mode and take everything in stride."

"Awww… don't worry Sonkei….you have us now." Raj batted his eyes at Naruto teasingly. "Ain't nobody touching you…."

"Oh? And you're going to protect me is that it?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at him and smiled to himself.

"Damn straight…"

"And how you going to do that, Sonkei? You look like someone just raked their claws down your side."

"I'm still plenty able to…"

Naruto quickly shifted Mino's weight to his other arm, reached out and tagged Rajan in his side, just above the wound. He did not do so hard, or particularly quickly, but he had gotten the tap in just as Rajan was declaring himself fit for another battle.

"Check and Mate Sonkei…." Raj grumbled and crossed his arms across his chest in a pout.

Naruto was rewarded with a small giggle from Miska. He even caught the soft chuckle from Jiraiya, now leading them through the busy streets. He smiled, there was some truth in what Rajan said, he did have them now, and as he had come to take for granted out in Grass Country there was not anything the three of them could face.

Still he began to feel it, like a crawling sensation up his neck. He took quick glances around their surroundings, the busy life of Konoha had not ebbed much in his long absence and most of the shops and civilians were merely going about their day, not noticing the large family walking through their streets. But a few did take notice, and they had begun to stare. Whether it was because of Jiraiya or it was because of him, he couldn't really discern because the looks ranged from shocked, to awestruck and very little in-between.

Naruto had yet to see anyone's gaze turn darker or more sinister. Still he half expected it to be a trick, they would wait until darkness like they always did, and then the names would start. It was amazing, he hadn't thought about this place in years…or the uncertainty that came from living here, and in ten minutes he was facing it head on again.

"Show them what they threw away, Ren'ai." Ryoki said from the front of the pack, her pace matching with Jiraiya's perfectly. Naruto smiled inwardly. Ryoki was as ever the rock of the pack and she was leading them forward. Even though she was probably just as devastated by the loss of the demons, she would lead them forward, for the sake of the Kits.

"This place is so busy, Tou-san…" Miska whispered from his side, her wide blue eyes inspecting everything around her. "There are so many people…"

Naruto agreed with Miska slightly. After spending so long in just the forests and Dorsa this place did seem like a bustling mess of people. Sights and sounds assaulted them from all sides, food and flowers, merchants selling wares, things he saw in Dorsa but not to such an extent as it was here. Konoha finally seemed to have recovered from the invasion of Sound and was thriving under Tsunade's new way of doing things.

He let his eyes gaze upward; they were nearing the red building standing out among all the rest. The Hokage's Tower, and behind that the Monument. Five stone faces watched out over the village, two he only knew from history books and the others he knew instinctively well.

"_Oy, Jiji, have you been watching all this time?" _Naruto smiled to himself a little as he focused on the Third Hokage's visage.

They entered into the building, the change from busy streets to quiet calm of the Hokage's office was quite drastic and subtly he tightened his grip on Mino. This was for him, though he had an inkling of what probably was going to happen once the kit was in the clear…..

Tsunade was going to turn on him like a rabid wolf and beat him to an inch of his life and then peck him on the forehead like she had done in Tanzaku Town, right after their brush with Orochimaru. If there was one thing he knew hadn't changed it was Tsunade's temper.

Her looks probably were the same as well….

"I'm here to see the Hokage." Jiraiya's voice took on a more official tone as he came up to the two ANBU guards outside the office door. "Tell her it's urgent."

The two men, or were they women it was hard to tell, nodded silently and ducked inside the door. Jiraiya took one last look back at him, as if making one last check to make sure he was indeed Uzumaki Naruto and as the ANBU returned and opened the door for them, he nodded and strode right on in.

The office looked just as it had when Naruto had entered through windows or been drug before the Hokage by the ANBU. He almost half expected old Sarutobi to be sitting there; smoking his pipe and trying to hide a smile at Naruto's antics. Instead there sat Tsunade.

As Naruto had guessed, Tsunade did not look any different than she had when they brought her back to Konoha to be the Godaime. Her gaze was intensely focused on the paperwork she was flipping through, her chin resting on her propped up hand…

"_Oh good, she already seems to be in a 'good' mood." _Naruto began to fidget a bit.

"Jiraiya, what are you doing here? I thought you said you weren't coming back here until you had that Uchiha brat's head on a pike." Tsunade was saying in that low gravelly voice she had. She hadn't looked up from what she was focusing on, not yet anyway, but Naruto noticed a dark-haired woman, gaping like a fish out of water from the corner of the room…a fat little pig in her arms.

"Hime…." Jiraiya said, trying to draw the Godaime's attention upward.

"You can't call me that anymore Jiraiya."

Naruto waved a little at Shizune, surprised to see her still standing guard over Tsunade, but then again the woman had been really dedicated to her teacher after all. His silent greeting merely made Shizune's eyes go wider and her breath come in shorter gasps as she pointed lightly with one of her fingers.

"Hime." Jiraiya said it more forcibly but it still didn't draw Tsunade's eyes upwards.

"Are you trying to get me to punch you? I swear Jiraiya you really are a masochist."

"Hime, please, just look up. I found something you might want to see."

"Oh for the love of…." Tsunade finally sighed heavily, her fingers came loose from the book she was flipping through and those caramel eyes drew up to Jiraiya, standing in front of her desk. For a few moments she did not react and glared up at Jiraiya like he had lost his mind. But slowly the eyes took in the congregation Jiraiya had with him…

More specifically she noticed Naruto.

"I would like to introduce the Wolf Pack, that band of mercs we heard about from Grass." Jiraiya smirked confidently at Tsunade, now mimicking Shizune's actions. "Turns out they have a few bones to pick with Akatsuki themselves, and I ran into them while tracking the 'Uchiha brat' as you called him."

"N…Naruto?" Tsunade finally found her voice again and she stood, using the desk as a prop to hold herself up.

"And it turns out Uchiha is a bit more twisted than we expected him to be." Jiraiya stood to the side, allowing Naruto to be in full view, as well as his package. "He used Tsukuyomi on a five-year-old child mainly to get at Naruto here."

Tsunade's caramel colored eyes took in Mino's complete form and then noticed the two little girls, grasping tightly to each of Naruto's pants legs. "Children…" she raised herself to her full height and walked around the desk to stand in front of Naruto and the kids.

"We apologize, Hokage-sama," Ryo hung her head in reverence. "We understand that our being here might be a problem for many. But we know no other capable other than an Uchiha to lift the Genjutsu your Sannin has described. We are willing to offer our services to you in exchange for you help in freeing our son…."

Tsunade hadn't heard a word Ryo had said, Naruto could see it in the way she just stood in front of him. He realized he was taller than the woman now, by at least a head, and he smiled a little as he looked down into her platinum blonde hair. "Baa-chan…"

He saw her hand come up, the familiar green aura surrounding it as she laid it to Mino's forehead. Miska was awestruck and somewhat terrified by watching the woman reach out with chakra towards her brother, but Naruto quietly shook his head at her and she waited like everyone else. Finally Mino's eyes cracked open and blinked a few times at the woman standing over him.

For a few moments Naruto wondered if Mino thought he was still in the illusion but just as he thought that the little boy's arms flew up around his neck and grasped tightly onto Naruto's hood behind his head.

"Tou-san…" Mino whispered very lightly in his ear and Naruto smiled and reached up to hug the little boy back.

"Oy, Mino-kun, about time you joined the party." Rajan said very kindly and Mino lessened his hold a little and leaned back to look at his uncle.

Naruto leaned forward to set Mino on his feet, he could already see the blue eyes focused on Rajan's side and much like his sisters, he'd probably want to go confront Otooji about it. He wasn't sure if he should be sitting Mino down yet, but he smiled as the little boy didn't seem to miss a beat as he jumped over to Rajan and looked on at the small stains of blood on his shirt.

"Otooji, what happened? Where are we?"

Rajan merely laughed and patted Mino on the head. "We got our butts handed to us, Mino-kun. And we are in a hidden village right now, you and that copy-wheel user went head to head and you didn't fare much better than I did against that shark, hai? But it's okay; you were being a good elder brother, protecting your sisters like that…"

Mino closed his eyes and they all saw the slightest shiver run through his body. Naruto made a mental note to ask Mino what exactly Sasuke used to imprison him…what nightmare he used against the five-year-old, but for now he turned his attention back to the Hokage, now staring at him as if he were a ghost. Miska and Rena both broke away from Naruto and latched on to their brother, Miska more than Rena of course, because it was her twin, and he had gotten hurt protecting them from the copy-wheel.

Before Naruto could continue Ryoki's sentiments from before he found himself wrapped in a tight hug from the Hokage. He froze and held perfectly still while the older woman nearly crushed him in her hold.

"You Baka, I ought to have you strung up by your nose from the Hokage Monument for what you did." She said as they both stood there, in the awkward embrace. "We all thought you were dead, and you've been fine all this time haven't you?"

"I'm sorry, Baa-chan." Naruto rested his head on top of hers and sighed. "I am so sorry…"

"Hey Miska," Naruto smirked as he heard Mino's not-so-quiet whisper to his sister and opened an eye to look over at the two. "Who's the lady?"

"I dunno, but that one there is the Toad Summoner." Miska whispered back, pointing up to Jiraiya who smirked down at Mino.

Jiraiya knelt down and pointed up at Tsunade, like he was trying to keep it a secret that he was, and then started smiling. "This one here's the Slug Princess, I'm sure you've heard of her too."

Both twins nodded and looked up at Tsunade, who pushed herself back from Naruto and turned to face the twins. "You have children…"

"Hai, hai, never would have thought to see that huh?" Naruto puffed out his chest and smiled proudly. "These are the twins, Mino and Miska, and my youngest, Rena." The three kids lined themselves up, like they did with the wolves and watched the new adults with careful blue eyes. "This is Rajan and Ryoki…" he waved his hand over to the older set of twins and both bowed a little to the Hokage.

"Guys," he boasted proudly to the twins, hoping if he acted like nothing was wrong, Mino wouldn't pick up on the strange behavior his sisters were exhibiting. "This is the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure. Tsunade-baa-chan."

Tsunade seemed to take in each of them before nodding and returning herself to behind her desk. She had returned herself to Hokage mode of thinking, and later she'd probably hunt him down to really let him have it.

"You mentioned offering your services to us, in exchange for my help." Her fingers came together in a clasp in front of her face. She leaned forward slightly and speared Ryoki in her sights. "I assure you that is not necess…

"Where we are from, Lady Hokage, it is what we must do." Ryo cut her off which earned her a raised eyebrow from both Hokage and Shizune. "Not only this, but we have reason to believe that once the Bijuu are obtained by Akatsuki, the Five Great Nations are next on their list to conquer."

Naruto smiled even more realizing that both Ryoki and Tsunade were of the same personality. He hadn't thought of it much before, Ryo had a tiny bit more of a sweet side to her than he'd seen from Tsunade on a regular basis, but in all honesty they were two like-minded women.

"That is an interesting theory, I would appreciate any…"

Naruto realized this was going to get extremely technical and complex. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Mino, rubbing angrily at his forehead and eyes and Naruto could guess that the boy still had some aftereffects from the Genjutsu. Not only that but all three of the kids would start to get restless, once the initial interest had worn off, and then they'd be bugging them all.

"Mind if I stick the runts somewhere?" He quietly asked, more to Ryoki than to Tsunade, but both women stopped and nodded in response. "Come on you guys…the adults gotta talk."

"Oh brother." Mino huffed. Naruto saw the split second of smile reach Tsunade's face, a familiar smirk that he used to illicit from her as well. As he led the three out to the hallway he looked around, forgot what else was on that particular level and pointed to the wall. "You three stay here, this shouldn't take too long."

"Tou-san…" Mino began to whine just a little.

"And try to stay out of trouble."

He returned to the conversation, leaving the kids outside with the ANBU guards. Naruto knew what he would find when he went back to retrieve them, but it would be far more entertaining for them to screw with ANBU than it would be to listen to the three of them talk strategy with the Hokage.

"So you are asking to live here?" Tsunade asked incredulously, taking a quick glance at Naruto, indicating that she did not believe the request.

"Hai, Baa-chan, that's what we're asking."

"But…"

"We will do what is best by our kits, Hokage-sama." Ryoki spoke up. "We have lived as we have always lived, as wolves. We should not force that fate upon them when there is the chance for something better. And as I said before, we owe you for healing Mino-kun."

Tsunade was silent for a while, her caramel eyes solely on Naruto. "This will take some time you know."

"Oh, nothing this pack's been through has been easy." Rajan snorted, leaning nearby Jiraiya on a window frame.

"Hai, we were not expecting open arms exactly." Naruto smirked.

"There is a way though." Tsunade closed her eyes as if the idea she had pained her in some way. "Give me a few days to process all of this and for you all to get acclimated to the surroundings." Her eyes traveled to Rajan. "And for your 'brother' to get treatment."

"Oy, how'd you …."

"Don't ask Sonkei." Naruto laughed. "And don't get fresh with her either; she'll put you in a world of hurt."

"Worth it..." Raj silently added in.

Jiraiya sputtered before clamping the boy on the back and laughing loudly. "You're right Naruto, I like this boy!"

"Boy! Who you calling 'boy' old man?"

"Raj…." Naruto winked at him. "That old man is the writer for Icha Icha."

If Rajan hadn't lost his footing because of his injuries, this was what did him in. He hit the ground so hard, Shizune came forward in concern, thinking he had passed out. Ryo began laughing, trying to hide it behind her hand while Naruto stood and watched the show with amused mirth.

"I'm not worthy." Rajan bowed his head.

"You just had to go and say it didn't you?" Ryoki eyed him playfully; the three of them ready to forget they had an audience.

"I couldn't miss the chance to drop him in five seconds flat." Naruto winked. "And it worked too, that's what's so great about it."

"Shizune, show them to the hospital and see what you can do about his injury." Tsunade was trying not to laugh either. "And I'll work on finding you some place to stay."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Naruto finally used her honorific and bowed to the woman.

He went towards the door, hearing Jiraiya lug Rajan to his feet. The two really were alike. Ryoki bowed herself to the Hokage and turned to follow him out.

Just as he opened the door he found Mino and the Cat-masked ANBU standing opposite one another, Mino's arm clasped lightly by the ANBU guard, Mino growling playfully up at the man who had stopped whatever he had been trying to do. Both looked up as they exited the room, and Mino flashed the Uzumaki Grin.

"Mino…"

"He started it."

* * *

It had been Ryoki's idea, Naruto kept repeating to himself. He walked along the familiar streets of the village, taking in what was familiar and noting what had changed as he went. The three kids followed behind him dutifully, doing as he was, taking in the sights.

"_Think about it Kitsune, three kits, a place where it's supposed to be quiet and they are supposed to be still…."_

"_Fine. But why me?" _

"_In case you didn't notice, the girls came to you when they were frightened. You represent safety to them. You are their rock." _

Naruto sighed and took in his bearings. Ryoki was right, three kits and several days of inactivity. He'd have to find a way to both work out some of their energy and their tension as well as try to prod them out of this silence they had fallen into. Well that the girls had fallen into; Mino wasn't in the least bit phased by this change. If anything it had spurred him into wild realizations and ideas about what good could come from it all.

"I know!" he said out loud, shocking the girls. "Let's go visit the training grounds."

Mino nodded enthusiastically. Of course he'd like the idea. Naruto liked it merely for the seclusion that the grounds would offer. Only Ninja went there and they would be ideal for keeping low. Sure someone might see him, but if he and the runts were play fighting, then maybe they would mistake him for a Jonin and his Genin team.

As they neared the areas fenced off Mino began moving out ahead, and Naruto noted that Miska would subconsciously move with him, but then skitter back to only an arm's length from him. Rena had yet to say anything or make any moves. Naruto looked up and saw that he had subconsciously led them to his old training ground. The stumps still stood and the memorial stone was nearby, and he smiled fondly remembering the bell test.

Kami, how had Sasuke fallen so far? What had happened to make him so angry? Surely losing your whole clan was traumatic, but could it really drive a man to what Sasuke had become?

Naruto shook his head and cracked his knuckles as he looked at the two twins, now standing on stumps in front of him. "Well since we don't have Kiro to beat sense into your head anymore, I guess I'll have to do huh?"

"Hai!" Mino proclaimed. "Anyway you know more fun things than Kiro does."

Naruto merely smirked and pushed his chakra towards Mino. He used his natural element and the boy jumped back from it. Miska just stood still; it didn't affect her in the least. Naruto smirked and started to throw more of his chakra around, laughing as Mino 'dodged' the invisible threads he was throwing at him.

"What the hell Tou-san!" Mino growled, drawing a Kunai from his leg pouch and crouching down on his knees.

"Oh? Don't understand the difference?" Naruto folded his arms in front of him, glancing down at Rena and smiling. "Kiro was a wolf. They are brute force. I, however, am a fox."

Miska suddenly broke out in a wide grin and began flying for the trees around them. Mino watched her go but returned his attention to Naruto. "So what?"

"Well your sister seems to have figured it out." Naruto shrugged. "You are just gonna have to figure it out too, Mino-kun."

And with that the match was on. Mino came flying at him and Rena, his kunai poking and thrusting towards him, but Naruto merely dodged, leading him away from Rena, who was at least smiling now. He danced on his toes, trying to go a tad bit faster than Mino but not too fast that the boy would get discouraged. When he saw an opening he reached out and tapped Mino in the back of the head, causing the boy to rub angrily at the spot then come back at him.

At the last second, he felt Miska come up behind him and he jumped up till the twins tangled themselves in each other. Naruto laughed as they fought a little then jumped up to be identical crouching foxes in front of him. Oh, they had decided on a united front, that wasn't a surprise; they almost always went for this tactic against Kiro.

"_Those who abandon their friends are worst than trash." _

He smirked wildly, enjoying the little bout with his kits. Naruto suspected Ryo knew he needed to burn off some tension as well and he now admitted it was nice to forget the whole part of being in a village. The training grounds were just like home; they could forget their worries for five minutes and have fun. The hard part was over. They were in.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Naruto whirled around to find Mino, his hand in the familiar hand sign, and a puff forming beside him. _Son of a bitch! When did finally figure out how to copy that?_

Sure enough one more clone of Mino darted away from the boy and they both came in low for his legs. Throw him off center, that's what Kiro always taught them to do. But when he felt another pair of chakra's moving towards him he instinctively jumped up, flipping towards the trees.

_Always as a pair. One of them learns it then they teach it to each other. _He smiled proudly seeing three Miska's and the two Mino's trying to figure out where he had gone. Miska always had better control so it stood to reason she could create a few more clones than Mino.

The fact that they could at all was still what baffled him.

_Mino learned it first. _He puzzled together. Mino was the sponge and he knew that the boy had favored that trick over all of his others.

"Tag you're it!"

He looked down to find Miska, hanging from the same branch he was standing on. Using the tree walking exercise she learned not but a few months ago to hide beneath him. Naruto laughed and reached down to tag her but she disappeared in a puff of smoke. A clone. Oh they were good at this; they'd been practicing in secret without Kiro knowing what they were doing.

Kiro was adamant they learn 'fang and claw' first not Jutsu.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" he called out innocently. Miska really had taken the hint literally. She understood what it was Naruto was trying to show them. Wolves were brute force, foxes were sly and cunning.

So as he slunk through the tree branches, looking for signs of either twin, he hadn't been expecting a serious threat. He hadn't thought anyone would pay too close attention to a little practice on a training ground. He had let his guard down.

He shouldn't have growled so harshly when the kunai tip pressed against his throat threateningly. Of course he heard the bit of snarl from his intruder when his own kunai, the one he kept on his belt, was at his gut, ready to strike if the intruder got serious.

"Whoever you are, you did your homework well." The intruder snarled angrily. "You are almost a dead ringer for the 4th Hokage."

Naruto laughed and let his kunai drop. The Yondaime? That's who this joker thought he was. "Sorry to disappoint you, buddy, but I am not here to impersonate any dead idols."

"And yet here you are, on Konoha soil. Who are you, how did you get here?"

Naruto frowned and tried to look back at his assailant, but was restricted by the kunai pressed up against his flesh. His eyes scanned the ground for any sign of Miska and Mino, hoping that the two did not take the initiative at this particular time to come up and provoke him into coming out of his hiding spot.

"Who I am isn't really important now is it? As to how I got here, I came in through the front gates."

Before the assailant could disqualify his answer, Mino did take the initiative. He came flying down from higher up in the trees, kunai drawn. He almost landed on the man's head, but at the last second the man darted away, which helped Naruto in the sense that the kunai was now away from his throat. He turned, reaching out instantly to put Mino behind him, but Mino was already moving, slashing at the newcomer.

"Get lost, you jerk, we were playing." He was snarling at the man, now easily blocking Mino's attempts to get a hit in.

"Mino!" Naruto barked and launched forward, taking back up his Kunai and moving to get between the attacker and his son.

_Where's Miska, if Mino's here, where's Miska?_

"Aneue's with Rena-chan." Mino muttered as soon as Naruto put himself between the boy and the Leaf ninja. Good they hadn't forgotten their lessons. Stay together and stay somewhere safe. But he really did not want them to fear Leaf Nin so early. Why had this ….

_Oh shit…._

Hatake Kakashi stood opposite of him, looking rather pissed. Naruto straightened slowly, unsure why he had elicited such a response from the Jonin. As Jiraiya had put it, Kakashi had looked the longest, why did he seem so upset that he was here?

_Oh…my whiskers…I don't have them anymore. It's a reflex._ The genjutsu he used to hide the whisker marks, placed on him by the Kyuubi at the sealing, was totally reflex now. That still didn't explain why Kakashi looked so put off by his appearance.

_Wait, he called me the 4__th__. The 4__th__ was his Sensei…he probably thinks this is a transformation jutsu!_

He kept his kunai out but he relaxed a little. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you now anyway."

"Try me."

"Uzumaki Naruto. My name is Uzumaki Naruto."

A slight release of tension along Kakashi's shoulders, that was a good sign, it meant part of him wanted to believe Naruto.

"That's not right either. Uzumaki Naruto is dead."

"No, Jiraiya-sama said there were only two in the village that didn't believe that. Him and you." Naruto backed up, putting his hand behind him to grab hold of Mino. The last thing he needed was his son flying forward to defend him when he was trying to talk the Jonin out of another attack.

"Prove it then."

Naruto wracked his brain. What could he do to prove himself to Kakashi? Too many of the things he thought of first would be considered too general, too common-knowledge. Except….

"I am the container for the Nine-Tailed Fox."

They stared at one another for a long time, neither of them moving an inch. Naruto knew that was a 50/50 shot of working but he assumed that anything to do with the Kyuubi would be considered top secret. Not too many people outside of the village would know about it. Kakashi knew about it, he saw enough of the red chakra during their travels in Mist to know what he was.

"Uzumaki Naruto…." The name seemed to loll off the man's tongue, he began to straighten and put away his kunai, though his hand stayed at his back pouch. Naruto would guess that his former sensei was about to pull out his treasured book but he didn't dare move. "And you came here with Jiraiya-sama?"

"Hai, he found us in Grass, after Sasuke attacked my son."

Well that was a new look. Kakashi blinked, his hand moved away from his pouch, empty-handed, and he looked down at Mino, still growling and brandishing his weapon. Was Hatake shocked? Finally though the man began to chuckle. "Jiraiya-sama always promised to find you, I just didn't believe him."

"From what I hear, no one did." Naruto nodded in response.

"Sakura!" Kakashi called out. "You can let the girls go, it is okay."

Naruto shifted his attention behind Kakashi, sure enough on the ground a pink-haired woman kept the girls at bay with a kunai. Miska had taken up guarding Rena but at the cost of being separated from her brother and father. The moment the kunochi took her kunai away both came darting towards the trees and Naruto dropped down to pick up Rena, who had yet to pick up the tricks her older siblings had.

Kakashi followed him, joining Sakura a few steps away. Naruto couldn't help but stare; this was not the Sakura he had remembered. She definatly personified Tsunade and she had filled out over the years. And she definatly held Tsunade's strength. He could tell by the gloves she wore and the way she held herself, she wasn't a timid Genin anymore.

"Stupid jerks, what was that for?" Mino was stalking up to the pair of them, upset that now Miska and Rena were acting weird again, clutching to Naruto like a lifeline. "We were just playing!"

"Mino…."

"I apologize, Mino was it?" Kakashi rubbed at his neck, eye curving into an upside down U-shape. "But you three don't belong in this village; we had to treat you like intruders."

"Naruto…." Sakura whispered. Her eyes hadn't left him since he'd come to retrieve the girls.

"Listen Scarecrow, we're not scared of you. Tou-san went easy on you…."

"Mino!" Naruto reached out with his free hand to snag the boy by the collar of his T-shirt. "Let's not be picking fights…"

"He's the one picking fights!" Mino protested.

"This is his home, Mino, he has to defend it."

"Whatever." Mino pouted and Naruto finally let him go. He sat Rena next to him and patted both of their heads.

"Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be out this time of day." The awkwardness that followed made Naruto fidget.

"You baka! Where have you been all this time?" Sakura lashed out first. Naruto had almost predicted that she would. Kakashi had never been a talker as it was. "Everyone thinks you're dead! You just let us all think something horrible happened to you and you've been off somewhere all this time??? Where have you been?"

Naruto smiled timidly and shrugged. He was a little refreshed to see this kind of outburst because he had expected it from Tsunade. He liked it better than the awkward hug he had gotten from the Hokage. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan."

"You're sorry?! You think that makes this okay? You left! You left just like he did!"

_Ouch._

"Yes I did." Naruto nodded.

Sakura raised a gloved hand in the air and Naruto knew she was going to hit him just like he expected Tsunade to do, but instead Kakashi stopped her. "Sakura, you're scaring them."

Teal green eyes looked down and so did Naruto, seeing that the girls were indeed scared that they had found some of the people that used to hurt him when he was younger. He sighed and put a reassuring hand on Miska's head. "It's okay Miska-chan; Cherry Blossom is just really ticked at your Tou-san."

"Tou-san?" Sakura deflated a bit. "They are yours?"

"Well yeah?" Naruto smirked and lifted Mino up in his arms. "How else do you explain him?"

"Wait? I guessed right? He's the Scarecrow?" Mino grinned wickedly, transfixed on Kakashi again.

"Naruto where did you go?" Sakura pleaded a little, her hands clutched at her sides; he guessed she was trying to hide her frustration.

"I went where I had to. I'm sorry Sakura-chan, it doesn't make it right. I had to go."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because I was a coward." Naruto sighed. "I had to find out for myself, Sakura….Kakashi-sensei. And I did. And if it weren't for Sasuke I'd still be in Grass without a care in the world."

"What did he do?" Kakashi finally pulled the book out and Naruto sighed a little in relief.

"Some weird Genjutsu." Mino frowned and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Tsukuyomi." Naruto added in. "He came as a part of Akatsuki to capture me."

"Ah, I see." Kakashi nodded. "Jiraiya was tracking Sasuke and found you."

"That's how he explained it. "

"Where…where is their mother?" Sakura seemed completely transfixed by the kids now. It almost made Naruto laugh the way she kept looking between him and the three children. Really he shouldn't laugh, he knew it would be a big deal for anyone in Leaf to imagine him as a father, but still it was fun to watch them gape at him like he was insane.

"Boring adult stuff." Mino huffed. "Come on Tou-san, we were having fun…."

Naruto smirked at Mino and pushed him in the head, sending him to the side. "You're just as bad as Sonkei."

"Well if Otooji wasn't laid up we could really have fun!" Mino beamed and pulled out his short dagger, the one he hardly used.

"You weren't listening before." Miska was finally starting to be heard. "Tou-san was trying to get you to hide."

"Hiding's boring."

"But you have to sometimes…."

Naruto sighed as the fight followed its usual course and soon the two were after each other in the large training field. He watched after them for a little bit then smiled. It was a shorter recovery time for them, that was good, wasn't it?

"My, they have your energy don't they?"

Naruto glanced over his shoulder, using the Uzumaki Grin to its fullest as he nodded back to his former sensei and Sakura. "Oh you have no idea."

* * *

Tsunade really had done a good job, Naruto noted later on that evening. The house Shizune had led him to, after the fateful run in with Team 7, was a pretty good sized estate that apparently hadn't been used in ages. It had gardens that were completely a mess, there was a fine layer of dust everywhere, and it needed some things like furniture and the like, but really it was a good size for them.

And the gardens had trees for Rajan to sleep in.

He glanced up at his brother, bandaged more tightly now and in fresh clothing. Rajan was normally a laid back guy, but after the trip to the hospital the year-older- man had been downright entertaining. Hospitals had fun things, like painkillers, and they had administered them to Raj, thinking the pain was a detriment to the man.

Rajan had ended up acting like a drunkard after a three day binge; which had Naruto in stitches just laughing at as he curiously inspected each and every corner of the home and then finally finding the perfect tree, and haphazardly climbing up to take a much needed coma.

Ryoki was beneath the tree, sleeping soundly as well. Though she didn't like to admit it, she was stressed from just this one day and when she had gone to sleep underneath her brother like she used to do around the tree, Naruto had known to stay away. Really she was concerned for Raj's well-being and they were blood, she had every right to worry about her twin brother.

He looked behind him to the three bundles in the middle of one of the beds Tsunade had provided. The twins were curled up around Rena protectively and all three were burrowed underneath a thick, soft blanket. They actually had marveled at the fabric a bit when he had first declared they should go to bed, they normally just curled up with their parents with wolves all around them; they hadn't needed such a thing before.

Naruto smirked and went back to gazing up at the stars above him. Really it hadn't been that bad to see Sakura and Kakashi that day. That got a huge hunk of the people he knew he should probably go to see out of the way. That only left the Ramen Stand and Iruka-sensei to find. He really dreaded showing up to his academy teacher…the man who had practically raised him…he just could not imagine the pain he caused the older man when he had left.

After all that Iruka had tried to do for him and he had literally thrown that back in the Sensei's face by up and leaving without so much as a word. What could he possibly say to that? Just as Sakura had told him, just because he was sorry did not make it right.

"Still up Kid?"

Naruto glanced up to the roof, covering the walkway around the home. Jiraiya sat atop, in his typical cross-legged position. He nodded and pointed out to the tree. "I gotta make sure Raj doesn't fall out of the tree."

"Heh" Jiraiya laughed. "Got a little dopey did he?"

"Well we never were ones for doctors." Naruto leaned against one of the porches support poles. "And Raj was always a lightweight."

"Figures."

There was silence. It wasn't complete silence like around the Tree of Houkou; there was a still ambient sound from the late night creatures of Konoha still out having a good time. He really was surprised that the kids had fallen asleep with the racket; because it was really the reason he was having such a hard time falling asleep at that moment.

"We have to talk."

"Uh oh." Naruto grinned. "Whenever Ryo says that I am either in a lot of trouble or she wants me to be serious about something. I haven't been here long enough to get into that much trouble have I?"

"No," Jiraiya shook his head.

"Then a serious conversation it is!"

Jiraiya began to laugh and came down to sit near the blonde on the wooden walkway. "It's about how we're going to have to do this."

"Oh?"

"You technically can resurrect your Clan, under old laws. You are a male; you have a wife and a male heir. So by old laws you could reinstate your Clan and retake all of your old holdings."

"That sounds good." Naruto frowned. "But I never heard that much about the Uzumaki Clan when I was here. Was it just a really obscure one?"

"No, Uzumaki is a Whirlpool name." Jiraiya was digging for something behind him, finally pulling out a sake bottle and downing some before offering Naruto some. He declined and waited for the perv to go on. "You were named after your mother. It was done to protect you…really I think it was a mistake."

"Oh, we're getting into secrets." Naruto reached out and took the bottle to help himself now that he could see he needed it. "Shoulda figured."

"It doesn't do you any good to not know this now." Jiraiya continued on, looking back at the three kids. "Your official Clan would actually be Namikaze."

"That name sounds really familiar."

"He was better known as the Yondaime."

"Damn it." Naruto snarled and stood up to stalk out into the gardens. This was not where he wanted this conversation to be going. "All this time…"

"Sarutobi made the decision, Kid. I was against it."

"You tried to tell me, that once." Naruto frowned and stalked through the tall weeds making up a good deal of the little sanctuary the house had. "You told me I had such a striking resemblance to the Yondaime, that's why you had picked me up. It was a lie."

"No…"

"No you lied about why you picked me up." Naruto growled and turned back to Jiraiya. It really was angering to think that all of these people, who touted the 4th as a hero and as a friend, merely passed him over like he had not even existed. "Hatake lied too. You all stood and lied to my face."

"Kakashi wasn't any happier about that decision than I was. " Jiraiya transfixed him with a hard glare. "And before you go making assumptions that we all just left Minato's legacy in the dirt, we did not."

"We just failed miserably."

Naruto's head shot up to the roof above where they were sitting. Kakashi was there too and he hadn't sensed him in the least. He really was letting his guard down too much in Konoha. Was he that willing to sacrifice what he had learned as a wolf to return to the trappings of human life? Kami, Ryo was probably laughing herself silly watching all of this transpiring, he knew she had to be awake and quietly watching.

"That name." she did pipe up to try to stave off the coming storm Naruto wanted to unleash. Damn this village, and damn their secrets. Why had he trusted Sarutobi so much? Why had he believed the old man had his interest at heart? Why had he suffered all that time feeling like he was the only one in the world?

Why had his own father done that to him?

"It's very similar." Ryoki continued.

Jiraiya smiled over his shoulder at the lump of kids. "We thought so too. We assumed that Naruto had stumbled upon this secret himself, but it looks like it was just a coincidence."

"Damn it." Naruto snarled and rubbed at his nose.

"Kitsune, why does this upset you?" Ryo decided to play the mediator. "So you know your lineage now, what does it matter?"

"It matters." Naruto snarled back at her. "I accidently named my son after the man that…."

"That sealed the Kyuubi in you." Ryo finished his sentence and sighed heavily. "I thought you had accepted that part of yourself."

"I have."

"Then why do you seem so angry about it?"

"Because I was his son!" Naruto yelled at her. "I would die for the kits. I would do anything to prevent them, or you, from any harm. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt them." He stopped to catch his breath, to try to quiet his outburst not wanting to wake the kits either. Still all he could think about was hearing Gaara right before the Chuunin Exams. How he explained how his father had fused the Shukaku's spirit into his unborn child…how he had sacrificed everything to make his son into a perfect killing machine. As it turned out Gaara and he were more alike than he ever liked to realize.

"You think he just threw you away?"

Naruto blinked when he heard Kakashi ask the inevitable truth he had in his head. He would have expected Jiraiya to ask that question, not Kakashi, so he stood silent and stared intently at the Jonin.

"That isn't the point now. What's done is done." Ryoki interrupted the staring contest. "Kitsune, you are who you are now because of what happened. If it had been any other way, Raj and I would not have found you, you would still be in a battle with the Kyuubi, and the kits may as well never been born. So let it go."

Naruto sighed heavily and landed cross legged in the weeds. "My apologizes, Ookami."

"Brash little fox." Ryo muttered and closed her eyes again. "They are asking us to take up position as alphas of a forgotten pack."

"That's how you see it."

"It's not so different really." Ryoki snorted. "Clans are packs, of varying size and power. Each one vies for their piece of the territory and the prime hunting grounds. It's no different."

Jiraiya began to laugh. "She has a good point. That is what we are asking of you. You wanted to return, this is the best way to go about it. It may not be ideal, but you've positioned yourself in such a way to achieve it."

"Because of Mino."

"Exactly because of Mino." Jiraiya nodded solemnly. "Just like you, he's a perfect little clone of Minato. Hell he even acts like Minato, I highly suspect he's a genius."

"Both of them are." Naruto begrudgingly admitted.

"I would have said the same of you." Jiraiya nodded knowingly. "It doesn't just skip generations like that."

Naruto blinked a little and then turned his gaze away. "So when does this little production go live?"

"In about two days. Tsunade is calling the council together, and that's when we'll reintroduce you to them and see if they'll allow you to reestablish your clan."

"Fine. If that's what it takes." Naruto nodded and met eyes with the Leaf Ninja. "Would we be allowed to take missions?"

"I would think them insane not to let you three." Jiraiya smirked.

Naruto turned to Ryoki, still pretending to be asleep. "Roki, does this sit well with you?"

"Kitsune, this is your arena. I'm not the alpha anymore."

"Oh fuck that, you'll continue to be the alpha." Naruto grinned. "I'm no good for this stuff."

Ryoki sighed heavily and peered one eye up at him. It was her Butaigan eye. "Kitsune, honestly you're better than you think. But fine, if that's what you want so badly. You and Raj will do anything to shirk the responsibility on me."

"Hey, why fix what isn't broken?"

Jiraiya had taken this moment to excuse himself from the residence. Apparently he was satisfied enough that Naruto agreed to take up his father's old name. Kakashi apparently was not as satisfied.

"You didn't answer me."

Naruto stopped to consider Kakashi. He didn't have his book out; he wasn't using any diversionary tactics or any of the old behaviors he would have expected from the Jonin. Maybe it was the lack of sleep and the secret being revealed but something about the man's stance told Naruto he wanted to understand the outburst.

"Yes…that's what I think. He had to know what would happen, if he was the genius everyone touted him to be." Naruto finally leveled with Kakashi.

"No. He believed too much in the good of people." Kakashi's gaze went upwards. "He thought they would see you in his steed, as a hero."

"Well that's a huge miscalculation to make." Naruto frowned. "Honestly, I have accepted what I am now. But that doesn't erase what happened."

"No it doesn't."

"But Roki has a point too; it did make me what I am." Naruto sighed and shook his hair out with a hand. "It just was a slap in the face to know it could have been vastly different."

Kakashi nodded, raised his hand in the traditional half wave and puffed away into the night. Naruto watched him go and then growled. This wasn't what he was expecting to happen. And yet it was happening.

"Kitsune, go to sleep already. What's done is done."

"You keep saying that."

"Why are you so upset?"

"I guess I can't see myself making that same kind of sacrifice." Naruto frowned moving to take up his post on the porch again. "I could never do that to them. Maybe if they had told me before all of this, I wouldn't have cared…but now…"

"And that is why the kits come to you when they are unsure. Go to sleep Kitsune. This changes nothing. We are still who we were yesterday, just with different names attached."

"What about Rajan?"

"Oh Raj will figure out his own path, once he figures out there are women here he'll be trying to match Jiraiya-sama for his title of town pervert. "

Naruto smiled and leaned against the same porch support beam he had before. He gazed up at the mountain side nearby and this time instead of focusing on the Third's face he focused on the Fourth's.

_And I guess in a way….you've been watching all along._

_

* * *

_

The next two days Naruto found himself burrowing into the home him and his 'clan' was staying in. He busied himself with cleaning away the dirt and grime that had accumulated over years of un-use and straightening up what furniture was left in the home. A coffee table here, new beds which he assumed the Hokage had found and provided for them, not realizing that the three were more comfortable on soil and rock than on a mattress.

Rajan had been a homebody as well, alternating between sleeping in the boughs of the oak tree outside and coming in to harass him about his sudden seclusion. Though Naruto caught him a few times stretching and pulling on the stitches in his side, which meant sooner or later, Rajan would be going out to explore as well.

Ryoki had ventured out already. Even though when she returned she would be growling and snapping at him she was at least trying to get accustomed to the village and its traditions. She would, however, come home with things; little trinkets and pieces of furniture would arrive delivered by the store she bought them from. She was trying to make this a home for them, as much of a home as her imagination would dream up for her anyway. Most of her work was outside in the yard, cleaning away weeds and exposing the wild flowers that had taken up residence during the time the home sat empty.

And the kids were allowed to go where they wanted, Ryoki had already decided that. As long as they stuck together and promised they knew the way back to the home, they were allowed to explore as they wanted. Mino had positively beamed at this prospect, practically halfway out the door before realizing that Miska and Rena stayed put, sitting on their bed.

It had taken Mino one full day to convince them to go out of the door and once he had the three had started exhibiting their old behaviors. Rena was still timid and depressed, but Naruto knew that was more because of Kouka than it was for any fears she might have about Konoha and its people.

Tonight was going to be an even bigger obstacle for himself and the Wolf Pack. Shizune had shown up earlier that morning, telling him that he should arrive at the Tower around eight in the evening and be prepared to answer some really hard questions. The council of clans, as Jiraiya had subsequently explained to him, was a bit more fair and forgiving than the two old elders that had once tried to keep Tsunade reigned in.

And as Jiraiya had explained it, most of the Clans that would be represented would be in his favor. Homura and Koharu were still a part of the council, they still had their families to represent, but the rest of the council was made up of the following clans: Aburame, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Nara, Inuzuka, Sarutobi, and Hyuuga.

Sarutobi was being headed by Konohamaru now, the kid that used to call Naruto 'boss' and annoy the hell out of him was now a respected Jonin in the village. Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka were still headed by the fathers of the Genin he had graduated with, but Shikamaru and Choji had been sitting in on these meetings, learning the trade from their fathers. They would still have some say in the Clan's ultimate decision.

Aburame and Inuzuka, they were the wild cards they had to worry about a bit. Shino had always been hard to read and Kiba…well who knew about his clan's workings. He was also worried about Hyuuga but Jiraiya had merely laughed and shook his head and explained that as much of an ass that Hiashi was, and the way the clan was run was despicable, Hiashi had still teamed up with Minato more times than not during their Jonin days. Minato had considered Hiashi a friend towards the later years and Hiashi had been one of the few standing up for Naruto's right to live after the sealing.

The Hyuuga would be willing to reestablish a Clan they once had an alliance with. And that's when Naruto's head began to hurt. All this political wrangling for power was when the 'human packs' and 'wolf packs' separated from one another.

"You know what, you're scaring me now." Rajan's voice broke through his political jump-rope. "Just as bad as the girls, skirting around like you're walking on eggshells."

"What about you?"

"I'm hurt, you don't have that excuse." Raj frowned. "Anyway, don't you have someone else you should be finding?"

"Huh?"

"That guy…you know the one, the one with the scar on his nose."

"Iruka-sensei."

"Yeah that guy." Raj crossed his arms and leaned on the wall behind him. "Ryo tells me that perv told you about your father."

"A little bit yeah."

"From where I'm standing that guy wasn't it. That Iruka guy was."

Naruto turned to stare at Rajan. Since when had the lazy-ass been so perceptive? And why was he so eager to get him out of the house?

"And it seems to me kinda cruel that you hadn't sought him out yet."

Naruto hung his head, fingering the kunai on his belt. "What you found someone already and you need me out of the house? Is that it?"

"No, I just think you should find the guy, that's all." Rajan shrugged and started headed back outside. "Plus I think it'd be nice for the Kits to meet your real family."

"You're a big softie, you know that?" Naruto teased. Rajan didn't answer him; he merely leapt up to his tree and began to watch the passing of traffic outside of their little neck of Konoha. "Anyway you guys are my real family." He muttered more to himself than to Raj.

Yet Raj had a point. He had put it off long enough. Naruto picked up his kunai pouch and attached it to his hip and reached down to make sure it was still there before heading out the door into the streets. The late afternoon left the streets more manageable and as he went he noticed a few people pointing him out, but again they weren't the whispers that he remembered from childhood.

They were ones more concerned with his looking like the Yondaime.

"_I guess that's why Kakashi mistook me. Apparently I really look like him now…."_

Naruto continued on the familiar pathways, smiling a little as he went. For as much as things had changed, Konoha seemed the same. And as much as he feared the backlash, there wasn't much of one to suffer through. Just like the feared backlash of assimilating the Kyuubi's chakra, it was unfounded. Enough time had passed, so it seemed, for the villagers to forget the latent threat of his once resident.

He came to the Academy, still calm and peaceful on the outside. Naruto smiled as he looked at the building. He had been happiest inside the Academy walls…he had felt somewhat normal here. Outside was not much different and he found his old swing, still hanging outside the main door.

So he sat on it, testing its ability to hold his weight before relaxing into his old safe ground and swinging a little on the little wooden plank.

"_This used to be the best place to watch from." _He turned around to watch the doors. The children would have left for the day, at least by now. But if Iruka was like he was years ago, he'd still be inside doing whatever it was he did in that time afterwards.

As he sat there upon the swing he tried to think of what he could possibly say to explain sixteen years of life. It was almost impossible. Each outcome was more horrific than the last and Naruto wasn't sure he could take rejection from the closest person he had to family in this village.

"_Oh, heya Iruka-sensei! I'm back!...no that's stupid. I'm sorry, even more lame." _He mentally went through them all and regarded them about as transparent as the wind.

And not a one of his made up lines could help him when he finally did see the man exit from the academy doors.

Iruka still looked like Iruka, if not a little more worn and weary than he remembered him being.

The Chuunin happened to look his way, almost like a fleeting glance or memory then was on his way, down the streets leading away from the Academy. Naruto watched as his feet stopped, turned, and Iruka's dark brown eyes were back on him again.

Naruto only grasped the swing's ropes and watched with his own cerulean blue eyes as the man approached him, albeit slowly. Once the Chuunin was within range, Naruto couldn't help but stare up at him, like he used to when he was depressed or lonely and had sat on the swing to garner Iruka's attention.

"You know, a boy used to sit there all the time." Iruka motioned to the swing. "He didn't have many friends so that swing was usually all his."

Naruto smiled noticing the tug on Iruka's mouth, the almost frown. "But if he sat on the swing, his only friend would come and talk to him."

"And he would normally swindle his friend out of free food," Iruka smiled now. The recognition was immediate, and now they were merely trying not to act like complete idiots in public.

"I think that might have been a ploy, just to have someone to talk to." Naruto winked. "Anyway, I think the boy is old enough now to pay back his friend…for all those times before."

"Naruto." Iruka finally smiled broadly, stretching the faded scar across the bridge of his nose. "Is it really you? I heard rumors, little things here and there."

"Hai, Iruka-sensei. I'm actually surprised Sakura didn't come and tell you."

"Ah, well Hokage-sama does keep her busy now days. I hardly saw her after, well after everything." Iruka rubbed at his neck a little. "You look very well!"

Naruto smirked. "You too Sensei."

"Has…Has everything been okay?"

"More than okay." Naruto nodded to ease the older man's fears. "I know what I did was pretty harsh, especially to you, but it might have been the best thing I ever did."

"Well that's good. And you don't have to apologize Naruto; I always figured you might leave someday." Iruka turned to look at the Academy over his shoulder. "So? What all have you been up to?"

"Maybe we could go to Ichikaru's for old time's sake?" Naruto pointed towards the Ramen Stand. "We could talk over noodles!"

Iruka nodded and started walking again. Naruto quickly matched his sensei's pace and the two men walked together through the familiar pathways. Yet another man Naruto was taller than, the shorter Chuunin really shocked Naruto and he laughed nervously.

"What happened to your cheeks?"

"Oh, that!" Naruto rubbed at his head. "I learned to cover them up."

"Genjutsu?"

"Yeah, in a ways, Roki taught me a way to mold my chakra around the marks to make them blend in with the rest of my skin. It's a reflex almost."

"Roki?"

Naruto laughed and flashed a grin. "Yeah Ryoki, I guess you would call her my wife."

"Wife?"

"Hai, her and her twin brother Rajan took me in after I left Konoha. We've been together ever since. You should come over and meet them Iruka-sensei; Raj has been bugging me about it a lot lately."

"I'd like that."

"Tou-san!"

Naruto turned, almost reflexively to the name and found Miska running up from behind them; her pigtails flailing out behind her. He inwardly winced as he saw her, not sure what had caused her panic this time. He was totally unaware of Iruka, standing in shocked silence as he waited for the girl to catch up to them.

"Miska, what are you…"

"We lost Rena."

* * *

Rena was certain that what she had just done was going to get her into a **lot** of trouble. As Mino and Miska bickered constantly about what their plan of attack for the day was, she silently slipped away to explore on her own. She only did so because she was so certain she smelled wolves.

And she wanted to be back with the wolves.

Kaa-san and Tou-san were always so tense, Mino and Miska were fighting more, and she could not figure out why they did not just leave the Village of humans like they did when they grew tired of Dorsa. Why were they staying here? Why had Tou-san seemed so scared when they first approached the human village?

Her ears caught the whines and huffs of wolves again and she moved forward. Mino and Miska were going to be in so much trouble but Rena did not care. She wanted to find the wolves so that she could show her Kaa-san that others were indeed in the village and she could have Kouka back. That's all she really wanted. Mino and Miska were always playing together and forgetting her, Kouka had been her friend and she wanted nothing more than to have the little fox back so they could explore and play together like her siblings did.

She found herself on strange stones, walking through a large yard. There was a house much like the one they had been staying in, but it seemed warmer, more inviting than the cold place they had. The yards reeked of wolves, Rena could smell it. Kaa-san had lied about humans not liking wolves.

But why would she lie? Kaa-san never lied.

Her thought process was interrupted as a gray ball of fluff came wriggling into her arms. The tiny gray wolf had lopsided ears and her eyes were big and brown. The wolves back at the tree only ever had yellow or green eyes, sometimes red when they were angry. Rena grinned widely and hugged the puppy.

"Are you lonely too?" she asked and sat down with the wolf puppy, realizing other puppies were coming up to inspect her as well. This was great! She had found the wolves, now she could show her Kaa-san and they could call the pack here too.

She giggled as the puppy in her arms licked her face, whining and whimpering as she snuggled up to her face. "That tickles!"

"Hey Sis!"

The foreign voice startled Rena and she looked up realizing it was very close to where she was sitting. Rena found herself facing a tall man standing just behind her. He had dark brown hair, and gray clothing, and two red marks coming down from his eyes like fangs. Behind him a great white dog stood, sniffing at the ground just beyond the man's feet.

All of the puppies save for the one that had initially crawled up into her grasp, ran over to lick at the white dog's chin. The dog in turn licked the puppies and playfully growled and yapped at them.

"You'll wanna come see this."

Rena stood, backing away slightly, unsure as to what she should do.

"Hey runt, where'd you come from?" the man knelt down, his fingers brushing through some of the puppies fluff. The white dog curled around him and stuck his nose out to sniff at her inquisitively.

"I don't know." She whispered, grasping the puppy more tightly. "I smelled the wolves, I thought I …."

"What is it Kiba?" a woman came walking out from the main door and stopped beside the man crouching before Rena. She had red fangs on her face too. The man looked up at the woman, pointed towards Rena and then turned his eyes back upon her. "Oh, where did she come from?"

"Not sure, she hasn't said."

"She's much too young to be by herself." The woman was crouching down as well now.

"Akamaru says she reeks of wolves, like she's been around them before. Which is weird, I've never seen her."

"Me neither. What's your name little one?"

"Rena…."

"Rena, I am Hana and this is Kiba. What are you doing here?"

"I...I missed the wolves. I smelled them here, I thought they were my pack….but they're not." Rena sighed and started to put the puppy down. The wolf whined and looked up at Rena pleadingly. It reminded Rena of Kouka when they had finally told him to go back to his den. He had looked at her the same way the little puppy was now.

"Oh, I'm sorry little one, this is our pack. Where is your family?"

Rena wasn't sure if she should answer or not. Sometimes people looked funny at her father and they talked in quiet whispers behind his back. She remembered Miska being afraid that something would happen to Tou-san and Rena did not want to point him out if he did not want anyone to know they were here.

Maybe she should have stayed with Mino and Miska; they usually knew the right thing to do.

But they had been ignoring her all day…

"So you like dogs huh?" the man was smiling at her, sitting down all the way and the big white dog joined him.

Rena smiled and nodded. "We lived with wolves! Until the men in black cloaks came and hurt Sonkei. Kaa-san said they couldn't come with us. Why do you have wolves here? Don't people get scared of them?"

"Nah, they're used to them by now." The man patted the large white dog. "Did you have a dog?"

"No, a fox. But he couldn't come with me."

"Rena!"

Rena sat up, recognizing her father's voice and smiled. Mino or Miska must've gone to find him when they couldn't find her. He'd rescue her and she could show him the wolves. Then he'd let her have Kouka back.

"Tou-san!" she cried out and soon she saw her father come through the gates of the yard she was in. The man and woman that had been crouched before her stood up and greeted her dad and a brunette man that was with him. Soon her siblings were behind her father and she was right, Mino looked very mad.

"Rena-chan!" he snarled practically. "What did you do that for? You got us in trouble…"

"I'm sorry Sonkei. Tou-san look!" Rena pointed to the puppies excitedly. "There are wolves here too! Kaa-san was wrong!"

"I'm sorry Kiba," the brown-haired man was apologizing. "She didn't mean to; I think she just got lost."

Her father was staring down at her, frowning as he came to stand above her. Rena did not understand why he looked so sad. "Rena-chan, it's not the same."

"But…."

"I am sorry, Inuzuka-sama." Her father bowed his head to the two that smelled just as much as wolves to Rena as her parents did. "My daughter she misses her…. companion, he couldn't come with us to Konoha."

"Naruto?" the dark haired man was asking in turn. "Jees Uzumaki, you really are alive! This is your kid?"

"Hai….I hope she didn't cause too much trouble."

"No, I guess not. We just found her here a moment ago."

"Come on Rena, let's go."

Rena frowned as her father reached out his hand to her and she hesitantly reached up to grab it, not sure why he did not believe her when there were dogs and wolves right in front of him. It seemed to concern the two people she had found as well because they frowned and looked at one another.

"Thank you for finding her."

"Hey hold on a second Uzumaki." The one called Kiba walked over to the little puppy that had first found Rena in the yard. He put his hands underneath her front legs and lifted her up off the ground and quietly walked over to the little girl and placed the puppy atop her head. He smiled and nodded as if he was satisfied and backed up from them. "There you go."

Rena blinked up at the puppy, which happily snuggled into her hair and whimpered in content. She smiled up at the man.

"I think she chose you, don't you think so Sis?"

The woman nodded smiling too. "Yes I think you're right, you take good care of her Rena-chan."

"Kiba, we can't possibly…"

"You said she missed her companion didn't you?" Kiba looked over to Naruto and shook his head. "The worst thing you can do is loose your buddy. Anyway, she seems to know a lot about dogs and wolves, she'd be a good owner."

Rena smiled up at her father who smiled down at her and let his fingers travel along the wolf's head. "Well then we owe you Kiba. Her mother and I weren't quite sure how to fix her losing Kouka."

"Eh, I'll think of something. You better take good care of her, Rena; I'll come and check on her from time to time."

"I will. Thank you Kiba-sama!"

"Okay you three; let's get out of Kiba's yard. You guys interrupted my getting dinner."

Rena happily followed her father and siblings and the strange brown-haired man away from the yard with wolves in it, happy to feel the weight of the wolf puppy atop her head. The puppy seemed happy with this as well as she barked at Rena.

She had a friend again!


	7. A Fox in the Hen House

**The Strength of the Wolf**

**Chapter 6:**A Foxin the Hen House

**Chapter Summary:**Where once a Wolf stood proudly, now only the memory remains. Returning to Konoha was the easy part of their journey, adjusting to this new world may be the hardest. For Naruto it is losing his hard won freedom, for the rest of his 'clan' it is learning to be human. But as always, the Pack will find a way.

**Author's Note:**Sorry for the delay folks, recovery from the root canal took a bit longer than expected. Try writing coherent sentences when taking Tylenol with Codeine ;) doesn't look pretty! And sorry also, the plan was chapter 6 being Rain Slicked Pelts, but it was turning out too long and all so this chapter is kinda a filler leading up to that now. You can all shoot me for the kinda slow chapter here ;) And yes you are going to start seeing a few pairings….

_A foolish fox is caught by one leg, but a wise one by all four. – Serbian Proverb_

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Naruto did his best to not fidget under the gazes of a half a dozen spectators in the cozy room the Hokage had led him and the twins to shortly after he and Iruka had arrived at the ramen stand. He barely had a chance to order, let the kids order, and started to talk to Iruka when Ryo poked her head in. She forcibly grabbed him by the collar of his sweater and told him that a dark-haired woman had proclaimed they would be late.

Not that she cared or that Naruto cared that much either. Something told him a lot of this was formality sake alone, not any real discussion.

He had hardly had the time to throw money at the counter and told the twins to go straight home after their meal and not to stray. The last part was directed more towards Rena than it had been to the twins; her little stunt had probably shaved a year or two off his life. Whatever had prompted the two-year old to wander away from her siblings, he'd hardly guessed. But once they had found her at the Inuzuka home, Naruto had understood.

Rena was lonely.

Even though he was sure the twins never meant to ignore Rena, it just happened. Naruto himself had felt a little like an intruder at the Tree when had first come to stay with Raj and Ryo. Though they were always friendly and open with him you could just tell there was some level of closeness between them that they could never have with anyone else. Maybe some of the old wives tales were true about twins. Mino and Miska had that same closeness between them and they unconsciously left their sister out.

Naruto was still a little wary about Kiba's gift. He had always heard that the Inuzuka's never parted with their companions outside of the clan and yet Kiba had given Rena a puppy. Ryo had probably not noticed the ball of fluff when she had come to drag him to the Tower. Kiba and Akamaru sat ahead of him a bit, off to the Hokage's left side and he nodded a little towards them. Kiba merely nodded back and scratched Akamaru's ears.

"I do not understand why this information was withheld. If it had been known earlier…"

"If it had been known earlier, he'd probably be dead." Jiraiya shook his head. "It was decided between the Sandaime Hokage and me to keep this information between us and those who already knew."

"How many people knew about this?" Hyuuga Hiashi was questioning the Hokage and the Sannin directly. Just moments before Tsunade had introduced him by his true name and a good deal of the older generation in attendance had begun flinging questions left and right. Naruto merely stepped back into position beside Ryoki and watched the entertainment. As much as the revelation had shocked him, it had really thrown the Hyuuga and a few of the older clans into frenzy.

"Only a select few knew about this, Hyuuga-sama. It was only those who were there that night with the Yondaime and those who knew him more personally."

Raj leaned behind Ryo as Hyuuga continued on his argument, saying how it was disgraceful that the Namikaze Clan was allowed to die, in a sense, because two men had decided it better if the boy had never been told. Raj poked him in the shoulder and smirked. "Oy Sonkei, isn't it great that they're talking like you're not even here?"

"And what about the other two?" Yamanaka Inochi interrupted the bickering by redirecting the area of interest.

Tsunade straightened and pointed to the twins, they took a step forward to become more visible to others sitting closer to the Hokage. "This is Rajan and Ryoki. They have no clan status, nor any home village or country. They have been living in the wilds, as I understand it, for most of their life. Ryoki is Naruto's wife, in a sense, as she has three children with him and Rajan clearly is her twin brother."

"And they wish admittance as well?"

"It'd be kind of stupid to split up our family," Raj snarled a bit.

"They are my family now, as much of one as I've had. Yes they are looking for admittance under my Clan's name." Naruto spoke up and it started the next round of babbling and questioning that was going to bore him to tears.

"You are the Wolf Pack, so I've heard." Nara Shikaku pointed out, leaning on one of his crossed legs with his arm. "So would you be willing to betray Grass?"

"We were never officially part of Grass. We merely lived within its borders. And we have done so in the past, in attempts to barter for what we were after in other countries. "Ryo spoke confidently and calmly, knowing this would be the major concern with her and Raj's living in the village. "You must understand that most of our clients were not Hidden Villages, they were Lords and other such organizations that wanted anonymity or easier access to information that the Daimyo or the Hidden Village themselves had."

"Where were your main employers from?"

"Grass and River. We had a few contacts within Waterfall and Rock, but our network only reached so far."

"And have you ever infiltrated Fire?"

"Only the once."

There was a bit of a break, each person in the room considering what Ryoki had just told them. They could find their 'network' very useful and want to hear what they had seen on some of their other missions as the Wolf Pack or they would take it as a negative and see them as a threat to Konoha's security.

"Your eyes," Raj, Ryo and Naruto turned their heads to the Hyuuga congregation, again being led by Hiashi's line of questioning. "They have an interesting makeup."

"I could say the same about yours pal." Raj smirked but was promptly backhanded by Ryo, who growled lowly at her brother before nodding her head to the Hyuuga.

"If you are asking if our eyes are a kekkei genkai, then yes they are. But as my brother pointed out, you also have interesting eyes. You hold the eyes of the Shark Clan."

Hyuuga raised an eyebrow and looked forward to the Hokage before pressing forward. "The Shark Clan? Please explain yourself."

Ryo sighed a bit and bowed her head. "My brother and I were not raised by human hand. Our family was slaughtered by Rock Ninja shortly after we turned six years of age. We were taught to flee should trouble happen upon us and we did. We found ourselves in the company of Gobi no Houkou."

She paused as everyone straightened and looked at one another and then towards Naruto as a last measure. "I understand this village has had a very bad history with the Kyuubi no Yoko, that their kind would not be welcome in your lands. However, we were still trained by Houkou and his pack of demon wolves."

"You mean there are more than just the tailed beasts out there?"

"Hai, many more, most divided up into Clans much like your village is." Ryo took a look around the room. "As a result of our upbringing my brother and I think as the wolves do. We know the histories of the demon clans and of the lore of the great eyes, that which humans call kekkei genkai."

"I am interested in this lore, as you call it." Tsunade prompted Ryo. Naruto and Raj began to grin. This was one of Mino and Miska's favorite stories.

"As it was told to us, Demons and Mortals enjoyed a long standing alliance in days long before now. They intermingled, cohabitated, and worked together and it was an age of harmony. If one was to trace back the history of any of your Summoning Contracts, you would most likely find a clan of demons that no longer exists because of their interaction with mortals. All of the Great Eye Techniques are said to be gifts passed down from the demon lords who were given them in turn. And all of these eyes were derived from the fabled 10-Tailed Demon Lord."

"The 10-Tailed Demon Lord was known in your histories as the Great Sage, and it was he who bestowed shinobi upon this world. He ruled over the great tailed beasts and the mortals benevolently and instilled in all a sense of security. When he finally departed from this world, three of the lesser tailed beasts were chosen to hold a part of his famous eye, the Rin'negan."

"First to come was the White Eye, the outer rim of the Rin'negan. It allows for the all seeing vision and the ability to see chakra's flow. There is a small blind spot in this all-seeing eye, but to hit that spot one must be perfection and no one is capable of such perfection all of the time. This eye was given to the once Thunder God Isonade, the Shark who never stops moving."

"The second to be given was the Red Eye, the Copy-Wheel. This eye represents the iris of the Rin'negan and the tiny fibers that make up the pigment of the eye. Those fibers formed together as tomes and gave the user the ability to copy what the eye has seen. This takes a great amount of chakra to use and if you can outlast the user then you have defeated the eye. This eye was given to the Nine-Tailed Kyuubi and his infinite chakra."

At the mention of the Kyuubi all eyes turned to Naruto. He balked at their attention, but knew sooner or later it would come out about his resident and he'd have to tell the truth.

"And the last was the pupil, the last component of the Rin'negan. Chakra always centers in some element and the elements are always comprised of some chakra. The all-seeing pupil can sense those elements and bend them to their will. This eye was given to Gobi no Houkou, the five-tailed wolf, who already had a strong connection with natural forces. And from those demons, the Shark, the Fox and the Wolf, the eyes of mortals were changed. The Great Shark made a deal with an exclusive clan who held the traits Isonade found to his liking. The Great Wolf gifted his eyes to a gypsy-like people who came to worship the Great Tree he called home, and the Great Fox bestowed his eyes upon a clan near the Fox's territory, amused to see what mortals would do with such power."

Ryo stopped the story there, not sure how the Leaf would take the moral of the story on how humankind, after receiving their gifts, turned on the demon clans and nearly eradicated them to the point they were at now. Many did not even know demons still existed in the world, save for Jinchuuriki, and yet they still lived in the shadows of their former lives, their former glory.

"So your kekkei genkai, it is an elemental type of limit?" Hyuuga was more than likely interested because of the almost identical look to their eyes and the Hyuuga's. The White Eyes of the Hyuuga also lacked pupils, unless the Byakugan was activated and then you could almost make out the outlines of their pupils.

"Hai, as I said our clan was killed when we were young. As far as both of us can remember, no one else in our clan had said eyes." Ryo pointed to both her and Raj's eyes. "You can also see that each of us only has the one eye, it is not realized like it is in your Clan. We can switch what element our chakra is attuned to with effort and concentration. We can sense what chakra our opponents have an affinity to. That is what we have learned to do with our own. One of our own twins, Miska, also has this manifestation."

"Our youngest daughter," Naruto added in. "Seems to have a fully realized kekkei genkai, though we have not seen her use it nor would we know what the full realization is until she stumbles upon it."

"I understand." Hiashi bowed his head. "Thank you for being so honest."

"Wolves do not believe in deception." Ryo turned to face the Hokage, at the center of this congregation again.

"Since we are on this topic of demons," Nara Shikamaru leaned forward from behind his father, his steady black eyes on Naruto. "I would like to ask my own question. We were told about what happened to Naruto as a child, after his disappearance. Is that the reason you and your brother joined up with him?"

"Because of the Kyuubi, no we did so out of curiosity more than anything. We found him near the border of Rice and Fire. It is, however, the reason our Pack allowed him to stay at the Tree of Houkou."

"Did they try to free the Kyuubi from the seal?"

Naruto laughed unintentionally. Leave it to Shikamaru to come to that conclusion himself. Sadly he had thought that same thing more than once when they were with the foxes in Fire. Now he knew better.

"No what they did was better." Naruto raised his shirt, just above his navel. "Jiraiya-sama and Hokage-sama would tell you that when I molded chakra before, the seal would become visible on my stomach." He took his favorite kunai out and forced a bit of chakra along the blade, using wind to sharpen the object. It was a way to mold chakra without causing any damage and he saw Jiraiya push himself out from the wall he had been silently leaning upon and the Hokage leaned forward to inspect where the seal **should** have been.

"The Demon Wolves showed me how to assimilate the Demon Fox's tails, or his chakra, in a sense speed up what the seal was originally designed to do."

Everyone was silently inspecting Naruto's smooth skin, as if trying to find the flaw or the evidence that it was not Naruto but rather a demon fox in their midst.

"And just how many of the tails have you assimilated?" Jiraiya had come to stand just behind Tsunade now.

"All nine."

You could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed Naruto's admission. Jiraiya merely leaned back and nodded his head while everyone else stared wide-eyed. The Hyuuga in the room all had their Byakugan activated, intently inspecting his chakra points, probably to validate his statements.

"That…your body shouldn't have been able to…" Tsunade had finally begun to piece together what he had done. "The strain of that much chakra…"

"Most of the time I did this one tail at a time, with a period of about a few months to a year apart in trying for another one." Naruto elaborated. "Oh it hurt like hell, I won't lie to you there, but as it stands since five years ago, I have all nine tails. In a sense I became the Kyuubi no Yoko."

"A demon."

"Yes and no" Ryo interjected. "What Naruto gained from this was the demon's chakra to be used at any time without fear of losing control of the chakra, since it is now his. The Kyuubi's essence is now gone, there is no need for the seal and as such Naruto was also freed from that burden. He also gained the Kyuubi's knowledge and memories. Jinchuuriki are not exclusively a human creation, Demons understand the power of sacrifice as well, and as such know the benefits such a merger can have. That is why they trained Naruto-san to control the chakra of the Nine Tails."

"We gotta get you out on a training field, Kid." Jiraiya was chuckling. "I want to see what you can do."

"That brings up another concern." Tsunade put back on her 'Hokage' face and returned the conversation to its intended course. "You three are known as the Wolf Pack in Grass and several other Northern Countries. Yet there are no real concrete reports on your abilities, your talents, what level you would be considered."

"We would submit to your evaluations, of course."

"Not to mention the level of your children."

"Ourselves, we would rank Jonin most likely." Ryo explained. "I prefer long range/genjutsu, Rajan prefers close-range/Taijutsu, and Naruto is like a balance between the two of us. He also has a greater range of Ninjutsu and area-wide attacks at his disposal."

"If allowed to stay, the twins would more than likely go to the Academy. There's no stopping that now anyway." Naruto grinned. "They know the basics, and a few tricks they probably should not know, but they know what path they want to take."

"Our youngest is allowed to decide for herself, just as the twins were."

"Then we are back to that decision already." Shikamaru leaned back, that lazy draw of his putting Naruto somewhat at ease. The question of allowing the Namikaze Clan to rejoin Konoha was put out on the table first and then the discussion had begun. Now the discussion had apparently run its course and the decision was back up for grabs.

"Sarutobi supports this decision."

"So does Hyuuga."

Naruto was surprised by how fast Hyuuga backed this. It was either out of pure curiosity to see what it was the Butaigan could do compared to their own kekkei genkai or it was as Jiraiya had said and Hiashi still had the remnants of Minato's friendship held in mind.

Slowly each clan nodded their agreement and backed the reinstatement of his Clan and its holdings. Naruto relaxed a little the hard part seemed to be over.

"Very well then as Hokage I reinstate the Namikaze Clan and restore all of their holdings and honors." Tsunade stood and most of the rest of the room stood as well. "We welcome you back to Konoha."

The Clans in attendance had begun to filter out of the room. Naruto felt he was meant to stay behind, so he and Raj and Ryo stood in quiet respect as everyone left. As they all went some nodded to them or waved as they went by, but a tall man approached him and stood in front of him dead center, staring. It was the man who had started the acceptance with Sarutobi….Konohamaru.

"Heya boss."

Naruto smirked and bowed his head. "Heya Konohamaru."

It was a quick and silent exchange. Konohamaru smiled broadly and then went about leaving the room. Naruto smiled even more noticing just how much the little brat had grown while he was gone.

"You know that runt?" Raj was whispering over to him.

"Hai, he declared me his rival when I was twelve."

"But he called you 'boss'."

"Yeah it was one of those weird friendships."

"Well that is out of the way," Tsunade sighed heavily, returning to her seat. "I will get you three headbands and flak jackets should you want them. I will also let the academy know to expect your twins."

"Warn them you mean." Naruto smirked.

"Exactly. We've already set you up in your Clan's old home. The matter of inheritance though, had to wait."

"Inheritance?"

"Scrolls, belongings of value, that sort of thing." Tsunade explained. "Money is another big part of it. Jiraiya kept most of it in his own vault here in the village. It will now be transferred to you and you can do with it what you will."

"We've never been the ones for material things, lady."

"Raj, what have I told you…." Ryo began to scold Raj on his manners but was interrupted by Tsunade.

"As I said you can do with it what you will." Tsunade chuckled. "At any rate you are now Namikaze Naruto and Namikaze Ryoki. The Kids also have right to that name. You however," she transfixed Rajan with a look. "are a wild card, by law you do not belong with Naruto's Clan, but you are brother to his wife, so really it is up to you to make your own name."

"Perv will suit him nicely." Naruto snickered to himself and got smacked in the head by Rajan.

"We thank you for your assistance, Hokage-sama." Ryoki bowed her head. "But we should go, the pups are alone at the moment and that can only mean trouble."

"Of course, welcome home."

* * *

As they approached the home now rightfully theirs they could hear laughter. For a moment Naruto pretended they were back at the Tree and the kids were playing happily with the wolves. Naruto knew that Ryoki was having the same delusion because she smiled slightly before approaching the doors and opening them.

Naruto was expecting the three to be tearing the place apart; with no one there to supervise them they would be trying all sorts of things. That was discouraging after all the time he had spent trying to straighten the place up. Instead they found Iruka sitting on one of the pillows on the floor laughing as Rena and another little girl ran around playing what looked like a game of tag.

"Iruka-sensei?"

"Huh? Oh hey, you guys are back." Iruka stood and bowed his head a little to them. "I didn't think you'd want them to be here alone so I kinda followed them home."

As Raj and Ryo moved in behind Naruto and came into view, Rena perked up and came running over a little puppy working hard to stay on her heel. The other little girl came with her and soon two brown-haired imps looked up at Ryoki imploringly.

"Kaa-san look!" Rena picked up the wolf and showed her off proudly. "Kiba-sama gave me Riri!"

Ryo smiled and knelt down to Rena's level. "Riri huh? A very fine wolf pup Rena." She reached out and scratched the wolf's ears and the pup responded by licking Ryo's hand. "Did you thank Kiba-sama for your pet?"

"Hai."

"Who's your other little friend?" Naruto pointed to the other little girl. She made an odd sort of squeak and ran back over to Iruka, clutching to his leg.

"Oh sorry, I didn't introduce her did I?" Iruka spoke up as he picked up the girl and held her balanced on one arm. "This is Shioni, my daughter."

"Your daughter, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto began to laugh. Things really had changed. He wondered how many new faces he was going to have to learn, and what new family structures there were. "Who's the lucky woman?"

Iruka pointed to the doorway that led to the outside garden. Mino and Miska were rushing inside, having heard their parents return, a taller boy lagging a little behind them and Shizune following up the rear.

"We thought we heard you come back Naruto." She smiled at him and the twins as she came to stand behind the boy and near Iruka.

"Shizune?!" Naruto turned again to look at Iruka who was now blushing wildly and scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "And the boy?"

"Iroh, my son."

"Awww, your father went and had his own family!" Raj was chuckling behind them all. "Good thing for the runts they got friends now."

"So this is the guy you were telling me about Tou-san?" Iroh asked as he came to stand with his father and sister. He was a mix between Shizune and Iruka, his dark hair spiky but not quite the chocolate shade of his father's. He had the same expressive brown eyes though and Naruto smiled and nodded towards him.

"Hai, this is Naruto-sama."

"Oh don't you start that. I do not want people calling me 'sama'." Naruto growled playfully. He speared the twins before they had a chance to escape questioning. "What have you two been doing?"

"Throwing Kunai." Miska smirked. "We're better than Iroh-san!"

"Maybe I let you win."

"Sure you did." Mino stuck out his tongue at the older boy.

Raj stepped forward and snagged Mino by the collar. "Come on Runt you and I are going to play with daggers if you think you're so good."

"Alright!"

"Can Shioni and I go play now too?" Rena looked up at Iruka, still holding the little girl who seemed awfully quiet. She looked just like Iruka save for the longer hair and being female.

"Please Tou-san?" Shioni whispered in Iruka's ear.

"I think Naruto-san and Ryoki-san wants to rest, Shioni."

"Yes, Rena, I think it's time they went home. They were nice enough to stay with you while we were gone." Ryo reached down to pat the little girl on the head.

"Shioni and I will be over tomorrow, Rena-chan." Shizune smiled down at the little girl.

"You don't have to," Naruto began but Shizune cut him off.

"Don't worry about it Naruto-kun. Really I think it's a good idea, Shioni usually is really quiet, and Rena might be good for her."

"Oh, well then, let me daughter corrupt away." He winked at Iruka.

"Let's hope not too much."

"Nah that's the twins, Rena's a good girl, aren't you Rena?"

"Hai!"

Iruka and Shizune let themselves out. Naruto still marveled that of all people Iruka was with Shizune. It did not seem like the right match at all; Shizune was much more driven and she was always watching over Tsunade. Now that he thought about it, the dark haired assistant had not been at the meeting held tonight.

"Kaa-san, did everything go okay?" Miska sat next to Rena and her puppy, scratching at the wolf's white fluff.

"Hai Miska-chan, and how about here? Were you guys at least nice to Iruka-san and his family?"

"Hai! It was a lot of fun. Iroh-san was telling us about the school he goes to and how his tou-san is a teacher there. He said there were a lot more kids too."

"There would be. Would you and Mino like to go there? To learn to be a shinobi?"

"Aren't you guys teaching us that?" Miska cocked her head to the side.

"We are, but there are other things we cannot teach you. Lots of Ninja out there have different tricks, we only know our tricks. You could learn about other ninja arts and tricks."

"Cool!" Miska jumped up and headed outside to tell her brother.

"I'll take that as a yes." Naruto laughed and moved to sit upon a couch Ryoki had found. It was made of nice light material, in her ever favorite color of blue. It really was comfortable and he laid back to close his eyes.

Soon a comfortable weight formed upon his stomach and he perked one eye open to stare at Rena and her wolf, now named Riri, nuzzling in for sleep. "You know we have beds now."

"But you're warm Tou-san." Rena giggled.

"So is Riri."

"You're warmer."

"Fine, you win."

Ryoki came to sit at the base of the couch, leaning back till her head hit Naruto's forearm. She reached up to absently pet at his hair with her hand and sighed heavily.

"Ren'ai, it will be fine."

"I know that." Ryoki growled a little. "It's just a bit much to take in at once. Usually we are the only ones in our territory."

"Did they invade too soon? Should I tell them not to again?"

"No, not at all, Rena needs a friend and perhaps someone to keep an eye on her since the twins keep forgetting. I just have to tap down the growling…."

"I like the growling…."

Ryo slugged him playfully in his head, and then returned to petting. "Smart ass. This is easier for you."

"Pft, how'd you come to that conclusion? I'm the one everyone's looking at. You guys have a kekkei genkai to get your foot in the door. People like you are worshiped around here."

"And I don't want that."

"You sure? You seemed to like being top dog around the tree."

"Very funny, Kitsune."

"Finally!" Naruto heaved a sigh of relief. "You don't have to stop calling me that you know. And you don't have to stop anything that you're used to doing. I don't remember anyone in Dorsa complaining, or any of our clients. You're human enough Ryoki. People will respect you and like you for the same reasons I do. Raj doesn't seem to be having any problems."

"Because he's Raj. Kitsune you could throw him into a pool of Rock Nin and he'd make friends."

"Or enemies…" Naruto laughed as he began to pet Rena, now dozing on his stomach.

"Either way, I will try to tamp it down. I don't know why this makes me so nervous."

"Because it's new and exciting. Chalk it up to excitement not nerves."

"Why aren't you nervous?"

"Cause, like Ero-sannin said, they can't hurt me anymore. " Naruto shrugged. "And if they go for the kids well then we show them their mistake. Kiro was right; I made myself a target by never standing up for myself. Now it's time I did."

There was a long pause of silence, all lying quietly in the odd conflagration on the couch. The wolf pup snuggled around Rena's neck, much like Kouka used to do. Rena more than likely would end up at the Academy like the twins, but he was not ready to let go just yet and he hoped the puppy and Shioni were enough to keep her occupied from what the twins were learning.

He heard Ryo sigh heavily and her head snuggled into his arm. "Do you think we'll ever get Raj to sleep inside?"

"Probably not."

"Then we should be taking the room next to the gardens. I don't think I can sleep without hearing him snore."

"I'm okay with that."

* * *

It was an odd walking along the streets with the twins in tow, not generating looks of hate or disgust. Word had traveled quickly in Konoha and now the son and grandchildren of the legendary Fourth Hokage were back in the village. That could only mean good things for Konoha. Many would smile as they passed or give some sort of greeting. It was such a complete three-sixty from how he used to be treated that it took him a few days to adjust to the acceptance.

Still he found it odd and a little angering. Just because he was 'his' son things were different. He was not a monster anymore.

"Tou-san?"

"Hai Miska?"

"Who is Yondaime?"

Naruto glanced behind to Miska, fidgeting with her shirt sleeves and looking around to hustle and bustle around her. She of course would pick up on what the people were saying about them, she usually was pretty perceptive.

"He was the Fourth Hokage, the Village Leader."

"Oh and why does everyone talk about him when they see us?"

"Cause….cause he was my tou-san." Naruto swallowed hard on the word. It was still a hard concept to deal with. "If you look up at the mountain and count four over, that's him."

He would have to know…he sat there often enough. Kami, he had looked up to the man, and sat on his visage whenever he needed a 'safe' place to hide out and think. Had he subconsciously known the truth and just not wanted to face it or was he just naïve?

"Cool!" Mino was exclaiming and looking behind them. "So we're kinda like a big deal huh?"

"No."

"B…"

"No. We're not. A name is a name Mino. Just because he was a legend does not mean we automatically are due for the same. We are still the Wolf Pack, even though we don't live at the Tree anymore." Naruto stopped and turned to face the twins. "You got that?"

"Hai." Both twins nodded their heads in unison.

"There are going to be those who try to take advantage of that name. There are going to be those who try to take advantage of your gift." Naruto pointed to Miska's eye. "Today, at school, there are going to be those who are only interested in your Clan name. They don't care about anything else. Or they only care about Miska's eye. You two are smart enough to know when someone's being untrue so I'll trust you guys, but don't START anything. Just leave them alone and they'll do the same eventually."

"We can still be friends with Iroh-san right?" Miska cocked her head to the side.

"Iroh-san is older than you; he may or may not want you hanging around while you guys are at school." Naruto started walking again, towards the Academy. "That's something else to remember. You two are going to realize that you guys are smarter than the other kids your age."

"Really?"

"Really. You two are going to start hearing the word 'genius' a lot. Do **not **let it go to your head Mino."

"Awww."

"Just try to be nice and don't rub it in." Again he took a meaningful glance towards Mino. He was more worried about his son than his daughter. Miska had a pretty good head on her shoulders; it was Mino, ever the show off, that he worried about.

"This doesn't sound like much fun Tou-san." Mino pouted a little.

"Give it time Mino." Naruto laughed.

As they neared the Academy grounds Naruto inwardly balked at the huge group of adults dropping off other young children. He had watched this scenario over and over all through his days at the academy, parents dropping off and picking up their kids. He started when Miska reached up and took his hand, a little intimidated by the crowd. Mino was chomping at the bit, he wanted in on whatever it was he was about to face.

They would be fine.

Naruto glanced over at 'his' swing, hanging empty from the tree. "See that swing there?" he pointed it out to the twins. They nodded and looked back up at him. "I'll be there, when classes let out okay?"

"Hai Tou-san." Miska grinned. Mino merely turned his attention back to the crowd.

"Alright you two, remember, don't start anything!"

"Hai, Tou-san!" they both smiled and Miska finally let go of his hand and moved forward, heading for the familiar presence that was Iruka. The man gave a half wave in his direction and he smirked. Iruka would keep an eye out for them.

Naruto turned on his heel and headed back into the busy streets. He had been cheated out of his ramen so he was more than ready to make up for lost time. Maybe alone he would finally get a chance to catch up with Ayame and Techui.

"Oi! Sonkei!"

Naruto turned to the rooftops, finding Raj hopping along easily. He smirked as he brother who now back to form after dealing with his injuries. Raj was just like Mino, chomping at the bit, to get out and explore this new territory. "Heya Sonkei."

Raj landed neatly beside him and fingered the metal around his neck. As Tsunade had promised, she had procured headbands for them. Only Raj had taken her up on the Flak Jacket and even though he was not wearing the standard issue vest, Naruto figured it was something his brother had enjoyed getting.

"So, how many hours till Mino gets into trouble?"

"I give him about four."

"Pft, you underestimate him, I only give him two." Raj laughed as they walked along. "Not a bad place this village."

"Finding lots of girls are you?"

"Oh you have no idea! I'm a mystery man." Raj winked as he got that wild grin on his face. "And the eye doesn't hurt matters either."

"Figured it wouldn't." Naruto laughed too. "Beating them off with a stick then Sonkei?"

"Hai, hai. It might take the fun outta the game if they keep making it this easy."

"Doubt it." Naruto snorted.

Raj merely slugged him in the shoulder. "These things are a little getting used to."

Naruto knew he was remarking about the headband. He had to admit that the feeling of the cool metal pressed up against his forehead, his blonde spikes being forced back into a familiar frame around his face, was a little heavier than he remembered. Raj had taken up wearing his like a collar around his neck.

"Maybe if you wore it right."

"Yeah right, no originality there." Raj again tugged on the object around his neck. "Anyway, gotta seem cool don't I? Like I don't need it to protect my forehead?"

"Nothing to protect there, really"

Without warning Raj launched first and Naruto found himself in a wrestling match. He laughed wondering how the surrounding villagers were going to react to two grown men wrestling in the streets like a couple of dogs. At the same time he enjoyed it and fought back fiercely with Raj for the top position.

It was only when a pair of red sandals came into his line of vision, just short of where they were that he stopped looked up, and smirked as Jiraiya crossed his arms in front of his chest. For an old man he still held that imposing stance that Naruto remembered being in awe of. Raj stopped and sat back as he released his hold on Naruto.

"Heya old man." Raj greeted Jiraiya fondly.

"Hey you brat."Jiraiya chuckled a bit at Raj. "I take it this means you two are good for a little match."

* * *

Miska followed Iruka closely as Mino trailed behind them, looking into each room they passed with great interest. Each room held a desk and a rows of desks in different positions and in most of the rooms there were varying ages of children watching an adult towards the front desk. They were being taught, Miska guessed, different things but it was a little confusing as to how they were learning anything without actually doing what was being taught. The rooms seemed too small for any kind of taijutsu or ninjutsu.

She was a least glad her father's friend was here; Miska was not quite yet convinced this was a good idea. She preferred learning from her mother, father and uncle; not strangers.

Miska could still feel the stares and the whispers about their name. Tou-san had tried explaining to them a few times about their new name, Namikaze, but Miska still was not sure what the importance was. So what if the man had been an alpha? So what if they were technically of his blood. A lot of the wolves in the pack shared father and mother so they were all equal. And as far as she saw, just because the man had been a 'Hokage' didn't mean her Tou-san was a Hokage. Nor did it mean she or Mino would be either.

So why was everyone making such a big deal out a name?

"As we figured, you two aren't exactly on the same level as your age mates." Iruka smiled down at her fondly. "So we've decided to bump you up with the nine and ten year olds."

"Awesome!" Mino came bounding up beside Iruka, suddenly interested. "Tou-san had me worried we'd be stuck with the 'kids'."

"We are kids." Miska reprimanded Mino.

"Whatever. At least we don't have to hold back, right Iruka-sama?"

"Right, we don't want to hold you back." Iruka, Miska had found, was always smiling.

They stopped at one of the doors and Iruka stepped in, where a woman wearing varying degrees of white and red, stood in front of the class going through several hand signs with kids much older than they were. Miska wanted to shrink.

"Sorry to interrupt Kurenai-sensei." Iruka pulled Miska forward a little bit, Mino was already standing there looking at the woman intently, trying to figure out what it was she was doing. "These are the two I was telling you about."

"Oh, very well then, Mino and Miska correct?" Miska nodded quietly while Mino agreed. "You two can take a seat then."

Miska rushed to find a place to sit while Mino took more of his time. Miska hated being part of the attention. It was not like at the tree when it was her family paying her attention. She did not know these people and she did not know why they had to stare at her so much. Just because her eyes were different….

A hand snaked out and snagged her by the shirt sleeve and pulled her to the side. She found herself in a seat and she looked up to find Iroh, smirking a little bit, his eyes still forward to the teacher. "Iroh…"

"Shh, Kurenai-sensei can be one of the meaner ones." Iroh winked a little and went back to watching the woman's hand signs and listening to her instruction. Miska quickly followed suit, only briefly seeking out Mino's spiky head and finding him a few rows in front of them between two boys quietly laughing.

"Genjutsu is the art of illusion." The woman explained, holding out her hand, now looking like a flower at the end of a vine. "If you can confuse and entrap your enemy, it is better than head on attack against a strong ninjutsu or taijutsu user. Most of you have already learned to use Bunshins, which in a way are illusions in of themselves, as they are not really clones, they are visions of clones."

Mino's hand shot up like a rocket almost instantly and Miska bit her tongue in anticipation.

"Yes?" the woman's strange red eyes focused on Mino and for a second Miska was sure he'd fall under some genjutsu again. What was it with red eyes and illusions?

"What if you can only do Kage Bunshin?"

"Then this might be harder for you to pick up." Kurenai did raise an eyebrow at Mino but went back to her explanation. "Some are not capable of Genjutsu; some only have a limited understanding of it. Then there are those of us who primarily use Genjutsu."

"Doesn't that leave you open for attack?"

"Hai, it can have that affect if your target is with others. Genjutsu is more useful for recon, and information gathering than it is for full out attack. Still there are ways to use it against your opponent when in battle you must be faster than them, however. But first you should first try to make a simple illusion before worrying about how you can use it."

"_It's like Kaa-san and Tou-san. Kaa-san is the illusion; Tou-san is the guard. While Kaa-san creates with chakra, he distracts them with big flashy moves." _Miska smiled to herself and began to mold her chakra as slowly as she could; trying to recreate what it was the teacher had done with her arm.

It was the trick to get her chakra to stretch to those around her to 'trick' them with an illusion. She assumed this was what the teacher was trying to prompt out of them, to try on their own to recreate, otherwise why show them and then explain it?

"Well I'm glad to see Iruka wasn't lying." The woman's voice startled Miska a bit. She looked up to see the woman standing in the row, near to where she and Iroh were sitting. Up close Miska could see the odd color of the woman's eyes was not like the Uchiha Copy-Wheel. They were just red. She smiled faintly at Miska. Miska looked at her arm and to her it looked fine, but Iroh and a couple others around them had turned to stare at her arm. The illusion must have worked.

"That's very good Miska-chan." The woman nodded and started walking around to others pointing out what they were doing wrong or if they were on the right track. Miska followed her around, glancing at different kids concentrating hard on their illusion, not wanting to be upstaged by someone younger than them.

Miska turned to Iroh who was concentrating harder now, and then down to Mino who did not appear to be there. She sighed heavily and focused harder and found that Mino was using a Fox trick to hide himself, mistaking Fox Arts for Genjutsu. It was not that she didn't think they were similar, they probably were it just was not the place to be showing off those particular skills.

"Psst, Miska, tell me what you did." Mino's voice sounded right next to her ear and she growled lowly at him, still in his cloak of secrecy.

"Where is he?" Iroh leaned over to whisper at Miska, keeping his eyes on the sensei as she talked with a girl in another row. "I just heard him."

"He's hiding himself in a jutsu." Miska sighed and reached out popping Mino straight in forehead, which of course made him drop the illusion.

"Damn it Miska." Mino growled in retort, now exposed.

Kurenai was soon back to where they were sitting, smirking down at Mino. "And I see you are also good at dispelling Genjutsu." She directed more towards Miska than Mino. "Miska has just demonstrated a good way to dispel Genjutsu. By forcing your chakra into the user it disrupts the chakra's flow and thus disrupts its range and affect on the target. And if I were you, I'd be careful about choosing what jutsu you use and where." She smiled sweetly at Mino as he quickly took a seat next to Miska and Iroh.

"As I said before, there are some of you that won't have the control for this type of jutsu. There are others," her eyes traveled towards Miska again. "That are very well suited for it."

* * *

"So I take it you want to see the tails." Naruto finally asked Jiraiya as they strolled out leisurely out onto a training field.

"I will admit I'm curious." Jiraiya nodded.

"You sure it's good to do that this close to the village?" Naruto pointed behind him, indicating he didn't think it was a good idea.

"Eh, let them wonder. I want to see a show, boy."

"I think a better question is can he keep up with us Sonkei." Raj smiled as he drew his sword and looked hungrily at the older man. "This is a Sannin after all; even we heard the rumors about these characters."

Jiraiya merely cocked an eyebrow at Raj before turning back to Naruto. Naruto sighed and finally began drawing out the chakra to 'show' the tails he had. He had to admit it felt better with them out than hiding them, but he assumed that was a remnant of the cage the Kyuubi had once been in; a fragment of his lost soul now gone from the seal that had once trapped them both.

"I think, Sonkei, you better watch it. You did just get those stitches out by the way."

"Eh, what do you know about medicine or what not? You heal up like a freak." Raj poked back.

"It comes with the territory Sonkei."

"You two ladies gonna stop talking or we going to do this?"

Naruto really smiled then. Jiraiya fit nicely into this little duo, he was willing to join in on the bickering. He decided to launch first, before Jiraiya had a chance to summon frogs or do any of those weird tricks Naruto remembered him for. He started forward, Kunai out and dashing straight for the sannin.

He already felt Raj's chakra moving to go around, to try to pin the Sannin between them. Raj was much better at Taijutsu but Naruto knew Raj would find it hard to get in close enough to Jiraiya to even strike out let alone land a hit. So he played decoy.

As soon as he got into range of Jiraiya he let one of his tails lash out under the older man's feet, which was easily dodged, but as he was in the air he threw a few kunai at his direction. Naruto smirked as Jiraiya did his hair trick. He had always forgotten to ask about that trick, but he really didn't like the idea of growing his hair out that long….

But maybe Ryo would find it useful.

Raj came bursting up from the ground, a fist instead of his sword headed for the Sannin's side. Jiraiya grabbed his wrist and tossed him before coming towards Naruto, now on the offensive.

"Glad to see you haven't slowed any!" Naruto laughed as they traded kicks and blows. Finally one of his tails latched on to the older man's wrists and tugged backwards, sending Jiraiya away and off balance so he could get into Jutsu throwing. He formed the seals and drew in a deep breath, popping out little bubbles of chakra, just like the Fox Head Sota had done against Kiro so many years ago. He released the hand sign and pushed in a wide sweeping motion, forcing the chakra balls forward. "Fox Art: Fox Fire"

Jiraiya went through a blaze of hand signs before clicking his heels on the ground and disappearing. The chakra balls deflected off and hit various trees around them, making dents and smoldering the bark. Naruto straightened and blinked. _Oh that's a new one Ero-sannin. _

"Two can play that game, Ero-sannin." Naruto smirked to himself. "Fox Art: Cloak of the Wind"

Mentally he knew this was what Jiraiya wanted to see. He didn't want to see the tails so much as he wanted to see what he had learned from the demons they had lived with for the past sixteen years with. Still he was going to pull out one trick that he knew Jiraiya would be proud to see.

He quietly snuck around the training grounds, aware of every little twig and leaf he could see. Jiraiya had clicked his sandals on the ground before his jutsu had taken effect, which meant it was more of a stationary barrier than it was a genjutsu. That meant if he could find the spot Jiraiya 'had' been in he'd find the Sannin. But he'd have to get through the barrier first.

Raj he saw slinking through the grass, his sword drawn and slightly pointed to one spot, never wavering. Ah that was what the twin's eyes were good for in reality. They could sense Elements. And Chakra had element. He could sense where Jiraiya was like a big bright beacon. And he was pointing the old man out to Naruto.

Naruto began to swirl his chakra in his hand, constantly churning and forming into a tight little ball. Once he had the basic Rasengan in his hand he dispelled the genjutsu and started running forward. Most barriers had a limit to what they could handle so all he had to do was overload the barrier.

Which he did not have to do Jiraiya dispelled it himself, his own rasengan in hand. Naruto grinned and put the last touch on the Rasengan, forming the windmill looking orb in his hand. He stopped dead in his tracks, causing dirt to fly up. He stood for a moment with the Wind-Rasengan, grinning wildly at Jiraiya, and his tails flailing to and fro behind him. Raj had instantly darted away, seeing what he called a destructo-ball, and was laughing.

After a few moments Naruto threw the Rasengan, tilting it just off so it would miss Jiraiya. He knew he could not honestly hit someone with a Rasengan unless he was trying to kill them. He was not trying to kill Jiraiya; he was just trying to beat him.

As the Rasengan zipped past Jiraiya it blew his hair violently and even caused his own Rasengan to dissolve even though there was no contact. Jiraiya braced himself; arms crossed and held up in front of his face. That was Raj's cue as he flew in and Jiraiya found he had to quickly summon his soldier toad to block the male twin's katana blade.

Naruto found his own kunai again and formed the wind along its edge and went in with Raj, both men trading blows with the large toad, one darting in with the other darting out and then vice versa. This was a game to them. The toad looked almost like it was sweating their attack. Naruto noted he had never seen Jiraiya use a weapon, not that he didn't think he didn't he just never saw it.

He stopped, allowing Raj to take on the toad and turned to find Jiraiya, forming a tiger seal before his cheeks puffed up and he began to blow out oil. Naruto used his tails as a shield, and sure enough after the oil had been sprayed Jiraiya used the Great Fireball Technique to cause a fireball to come, enraged by the oil previously sprayed.

Naruto mentally thanked they Kyuubi's natural lean towards Katon Element and waited until the fireball had burned off all the oil before using his tails to force the fireball back towards Jiraiya. As he did he backed it with a wind gust, engulfing the flames with fresh fuel and causing the ball to grow.

Jiraiya dodged and landed a little bit away, crouched down and low, panting a little as he watched Naruto and Naruto watched back. Raj was happily laughing away behind Naruto, and for a moment he turned to see the dark haired boy now with the frog's sword and his own sword in hand. Some days he wondered about Raj's sanity.

He turned back to Jiraiya who was standing and brushing himself off. "I don't think I can beat you."

"I was thinking the same." Naruto smirked a bit.

"Oh you could, you just wouldn't." Jiraiya chuckled. "Still a bit soft on the attack there kid."

"Eh, it's a spar, what's the use of hurting each other."

Raj popped up behind Naruto, slinging his arm around Naruto's shoulders and holding up his scarred arm. "What you didn't learn anything from Kiro's lesson?"

"I learned to not hold back against a demon." Naruto shoved him off and smirked. "Jiraiya-sama is something else entirely."

"Eh, same old Kitsune." Raj shrugged and glanced at the Sannin. "I was holding back too, I should've summoned a damn wolf to take care of your toad. Nice tasty snack for one of the boys."

"You wouldn't dare." Naruto began laughing. "Ryo would kill you."

"Eh Ryo's busy trying to find work. You know her, she can't sit still."

"Ah the lady's not taking to village life too well is she?" Jiraiya crossed his arms and looked back towards the village, while Naruto suppressed the nine tails of his.

"She's never been the social type, save for with us." Naruto smiled a bit knowing Ryo did not like to sit idle for too long. "She also doesn't know how to not deal with territory. And people are constantly in her territory."

"Ah, and what about you boy?" Jiraiya reached out and poked Raj in the forehead.

"Me? I'm just fine thanks." Raj laughed and sheathed his sword.

"There are girls here." Naruto sighed and pointed back towards the village. "Raj is fine as long as they're here."

"Atta boy." Jiraiya clamped Raj on the shoulder and they began to head back to the civilian parts of the village. "And you?"

"What you checking up on us old man?" Raj chuckled.

Naruto had to laugh too cause it seemed that indeed was Jiraiya's underlying motive into seeking them out. He shrugged and rearranged his headband. "It just feels weird."

"And the runts?"

"Oh they're fine." Raj remarked pointing in the general direction they had left Mino and Miska. "I'm actually surprised that no one's sought out Sonkei yet to deal with his son."

"So am I." Naruto frowned. "Either that or he's actually listening for once."

"Highly doubtful." Raj smiled. "Maybe Miska's keeping him on a tight leash."

"Would be smart of her."

Jiraiya laughed a bit and shook his head. "It's easier for kids sometimes. And the little one, the one with the eyes?"

"She's with Shizune and her little girl, Shioni. " Naruto pointed towards the tower. "They seem to get along well enough."

"Ha, well that's good."

"Hai, well if you're done being protective." Naruto flashed a grin. "Raj and I are going to the ramen stand….people keep preventing me from my reunion."

"I would have thought you lost the taste for it by now."

"You jokin? He would talk about the damn place whenever we'd go to Dorsa." Raj joked and poked Naruto with his sword sheath. "Like an addict back to his drug ain't ya Sonkei."

"Hell yes! And it's been years since my last fix!" Naruto shoved back and waved to Jiraiya, who had stopped walking. "See ya Ero-sannin!"

* * *

Miska sighed as she watched Mino do what their father had expressly told them not to do.

Start something.

Mino stood between herself and about three other older boys, ready to trade more than just insults should they decide to keep pushing the issue they had brought up…their age.

"Runt like you shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, why don't you stop playing and go back to your own class kid?"

"Well maybe if you knew anything you'd not be scared of us." Mino growled back.

"Scared of you? Are you kidding me?"

"That's what you are, scared." Mino smiled proudly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He puffed himself out to look bigger but Miska knew this was only going to get worse.

One of them reached out to snag Mino by the collar of his tan shirt but he moved underneath the boy and snagged hold of his shirt front before the boy could stop him. Mino snarled angrily at the boy, ready to show them that yes they were scared of them…but another older boy stepped in and stopped them.

"Get lost you jerks." He said gruffly, shoving his way in between the starting fight. "Just leave em alone, they're just kids."

"Hey!" Mino piped up but the new boy shoved him back a little with his hand on Mino's head. The other three seemed to listen and stalked away grumbling to themselves. Miska watched them go and sighed a little in relief. Mino was about to get them in serious trouble.

"Shouldn't you not be picking fights?" the boy turned to Mino and looked down at him inquisitively.

"Shouldn't you mind your own business?" Mino shot back and glared daggers. Miska sighed more, and walked up to join Mino and hopefully calm him down.

"Mino, stop it. Tou-san said not to….that they'd do this for a while."

"Doesn't mean they should get away with it." Mino snarled back.

"Look you two, if you're gonna get through here the first couple of weeks you need to lay low." The boy sighed and rubbed at his nose. He seemed awfully broad and muscular for someone his age but he also looked scruffy, like he was just asleep. "Right now everyone's talking about you."

"Great." Miska deflated.

"Name's Asu," the boy held out his hand in a peace greeting. "You're Mino right?"

"Hai."

"And Miska?"

Miska nodded as well.

"My Sensei said you probably would be trouble." Asu grinned a bit. "Guess he wasn't kidding."

"Is everyone talking about us?" Miska groaned. "Great, we should have told Tou-san no…and he and Kaa-san could have just kept teaching us."

"Hey don't worry about it too much. My sensei knows your dad." Asu shrugged. "Said to keep an eye out for you guys."

"Why?"

"Cause otherwise you'd really be in trouble." Asu pointed as a couple of teachers finally came outside to observe what the kids were actually doing and supposed to be doing. "Come on, Iroh's this way, he said he kinda lost track of you guys."

"You know Iroh?"

"Hai."

Mino growled behind him, seeing the boys from before watching after them. Really he just wanted to show them up and create a few shadow clones grab Miska's trap wires, and really show them what for. Then again Miska wasn't herself since they got into the village, she was too skittish and way too concerned about not being seen or heard. He had to work on that because the idea didn't work unless she was helping him.

So they followed Asu till they got to a shaded area of the outside grounds. Asu waved as he came up and sat himself underneath the tree, closed his eyes and dozed. "Found em for you Iroh."

"Thanks Asu." Iroh was rubbing his head nervously. "You guys really shouldn't be by yourself."

"We're fine." Mino snarled. "I don't like everyone 'keeping an eye out'."

"Mino…"

"No, Kaa-san doesn't treat us like we're different why is everyone else? This is stupid…just let me knock one of em around a little and it'll be fine."

"I like this kid." A blonde haired girl giggled from besides Iroh. "You said they were the Namikaze Twins?"

"Hai," Iroh nodded. "Mino, Miska, this is Yamanaka Inoyuki, Aburame Tamamushi," he pointed to the two girls. "You already met Sarutobi Asu, and we're not quite sure where Akimichi is today."

"He probably ate too much again." Inoyuki was groaning. "You know how he is. You can call me Yuki by the way." She smiled at Mino and Miska. "Iroh was telling us about Genjutsu class today, Miska you might have to help me in that one." She grinned and closed her eyes. "Never was too good at it."

Miska grinned a little too. "Okay, Kaa-san is really good at it though."

"Is it true you lived with wolves?" the dark haired girl that Iroh had introduced as Tamamushi asked, leaning against the same tree as Asu, but keeping her eyes hidden with dark glasses.

"Yeah, we did." Mino nodded. "Something's weird about you…"

"Mino!" Miska snapped "Are you trying to get us killed the first day???"

Asu began chuckling and nodded, "Yeah Tama is weird alright. What's off about her?"

"She buzzes." Mino scrunched up his face and cocked his head to the side.

Tama pushed off the tree with her elbows, held out a hand to Mino's face and soon a little bug crawled out from her long coat sleeve. The bug chattered and buzzed as it stretched its wings and fluttered them in the wind. "Much like your clan lived with wolves, mine lives with insects."

"Awesome!" Mino reached out a bit to touch the bug but it skittered back into Tama's sleeves. "See Miska, this is great! We'd never seen this back at the tree."

Miska did have to admit this was kind of cool, seeing such varying Clans and styles.

"You lived in a tree?"

"Oh the rumors did not cover that huh?" Mino sheepishly grinned. "Yeah we lived with the wolves at their tree. It was fun! They taught us stuff."

"Just as bad as the Inuzuka Clan." Yuki laughed.

"Oh, Kiba-sama gave our sister one of their wolves, he was very nice." Miska smiled. "I hope we see them again."

"Yeah you'd be right at home there." Asu winked at em. "Koira is too young from what I hear yet, but sooner or later there will be one here. When's Mae coming back with Temari-sama?"

"Should be soon. She's so lucky she gets to go everywhere with her mom."

"Only because her mom thinks Sensei's too lazy." Asu snorted.

"He is."

"So you guys are a pack or what?" Mino butted into the conversation.

They all blinked at him the girls laughed a bit, Yuki more than Tama. "I guess so. Our parents were all rookies together, so we just know each other. Iroh's the only odd man out…well I guess until now."

"Well not really, their dad knows your parents I'm sure." Iroh mimicked a move the twins had seen Iruka-sensei practice a few times, rubbing at his spiky hair and smiling with his eyes closed.

"Guess you're right." Yuki smiled brightly. "Guess you guys belong with the group then!"

"Just please no more picking fights." Asu pointed at Mino. "You want to fight so bad, start it up with me or Iroh."

"Okay let's go then." Mino beamed. "This classroom stuff is boring."

"Mino…."

"Alright then, come on Iroh." Asu stood back up and snagged Iroh by the collar. "If you're gonna graduate with us you're gonna have to start stepping up. Come on Mino-kun, maybe you can show him a few things."

* * *

Naruto had to admit he wasn't expecting the sight he saw as the kids left the academy but it was a sight that he liked. He sat in his familiar swing, moving back and forth slightly, only this time Ryo sat comfortably upon his lap, swinging back and forth smirking a little as well.

"I will admit Kitsune this is kinda fun."

"There are better swings in the park, maybe we'll take Rena and you can play too, Ryo-kun."

"Bite me Kitsune."

Naruto merely swung harder and smirked as Ryo's hands reached out to snag the ropes tightly. He laughed and hugged her around her midsection, continuing to swing. Who said you couldn't direct chakra to your butt to stick you to a swing.

Raj would have thought he was having a moment of genius. Ryo, if she knew, would be laughing her butt off.

As the kids began to flow out of the doors many of the older kids began darting off, either to train by themselves or with parents and siblings. Some of the younger ones had their parents already waiting nearby, but not close enough to 'embarrass' their offspring.

But when Mino and Miska came out, they were following a large crowd of older kids, one of which Naruto knew was Iroh, quietly bringing up the rear. Two girls and another boy, all three who seemed somewhat familiar to him; Miska was actually riding the older boy's shoulders, talking excitedly about something he couldn't quite hear. Mino was leading the way, more than likely to their house.

They had forgotten he'd be waiting on them; which in all was a good thing, because it meant Miska had lost some of her apprehension. She was not constantly looking for him to feel safe.

He was starting to stop the swing, to get off and catch up but Ryo leaned back. "No let them go Kitsune, they're fine."

"We don't even know those kids."

"We know Iroh, and Iruka. And we know the twins. "Ryo lowered her head a bit. "Plus I've been spying a little."

"Ahhhh I see, I'm not the only protective hen here." Naruto grinned wildly. "You've been worried to."

"A little."

"Just a little?"

"Fine a lot. They are just kids, and they still don't know a lot of things." Ryo watched them go. "But they know enough, and they'll learn quickly."

"So let them go?"

"Hai. Let them go. Rena's with Rajan and the twins look like they're having fun, so why not let them. You and I can just spend some time together."

"Oh really?"

"You said there were better swings huh?" Ryo grinned back at him. "And there's a hot springs nearby."

Naruto grinned and nodded, lifting him and Ryo off the swing, setting her down on her feet gently. Ryo was starting to get curious about all these things she had missed out on as a child and about the different things people occupied their time with.

Miska wasn't the only one losing her apprehension.

* * *

**Words and Meanings**

**Kitsune - **fox  
**Ookami - **wolf  
**Kami - **god  
**Ren'ai - **love, affections  
**Sonkei - **elder brother  
**Aneue - **elder sister  
**Otooji – **uncle  
**Jiji - **grandfather  
**Tou-san - **slang version of Father  
**Kaa-san - **slang version of Mother  
**Kiro - **crossroads, one's way  
**Kyuubi - **nine, also the name that the Demon Fox Spirit is known by  
**Yoko - **beside, width  
**Gobi - **five  
**Houkou -** direction, yell, howl, also the name that the Demon Wolf Spirit is known by  
**Butaigan – **elemental eye  
**Nani – **what  
**Hai – **yes  
**Bijuu – **demon spirit

**Name Derivations**

Yeah I'm a dork, I made more kids. I mean the rookies are already or going to be in their thirties and with that Will of Fire that the third always talked about, I'm sure many would have started families and all that jazz so yeah. I promise last heavy chapter on this 'cute kid' crap. Honestly not a kid person myself but yeah makes sense that the kids would be the driving force behind the decision, they should have the focus for a bit.

Shioni – is a type of boiled salted fish I believe. Again I've said the translator I've found may or may not be terribly accurate. I did it kinda in honor of Naruto's name…from Iruka's point of view

Iroh – yeah… I'll admit I've seen some avatar. And I loved uncle. So yeah….shoot me if you must.

Asu – Okay…the MANGA will more than likely make me a freaking come back and fix this name…but the stupid thing keeps holding out on me. Yes…Kurenai's and Asuma's son. Yes when he talks about sensei he means Shikamaru. I still believe that Hidan and Kakuzu would have killed the monk and those events would have still happened.

Shikamaeru – only mentioned briefly as 'Mae' Amaeru kinda means 'to fawn over' and I took it and ran. Kinda close to Shikamaru's name, yes…but from what I've seen so far, a lot of people in this universe name their kids similar, at least in the Clan setting.

Tamamushi – insect with iridescent wings. Self explanatory.

Inoyuki – actually means 'snow mingled with rain'. I just liked the sound of it.

Rena – actually stands for Melody/Harmony

Mino/Miska – Mino I just took letters out and then came up with Miska, I can't find a site anywhere that gives particular meanings to these names, so none yet.

Koria – not yet introduced. Just a name I found.


	8. Rain Slicked Pelts

**The Strength of the Wolf**

**Chapter 7:**Rain Slicked Pelts

**Chapter Summary:**A cleansing rain is sometimes best, washing away the dirt and debris built up over the years. A wolf holds little concern towards the rain droplets that runs off its back. But when it floods, damage is more severe and the pack must move to higher ground, to find the safest footing.

**Author Note: **I waited to republish chapter 6 along with this one, it can be seen when you go back now. Hopefully I caught a good bulk of the mistakes. I apologize for the long update...you know how you know you're not so good at doing certain things, and you obsess over them? Yeah I was obsessing over this chapter a bit.

_The Wolf is kept fed by its feet. – Russian proverb_

_

* * *

_

"Bye Tou-san!" two identical yellow blurs said as they went racing past, their feet making loud thumps on the wood floors as they went. Naruto merely shook his head and shrugged. In a few months time any hesitancy there had been was now gone and the twins were known around the village for what they truly were: Geniuses and Pranksters.

Miska was the instigator in most cases, which was a huge relief in most respects and a huge pain the rest of the time.

Ryo came meandering out after the children, shaking her head also at the two five year olds who seemed to be nothing more than visitors in their home anymore. She wore her traditional flak jacket covering one of her favorite blue sleeved tops and blending well with the dark brown pants she wore beneath. Her headband was wrapped tightly around her right leg with her kunai pouch on the left. She looked every bit the model Konoha Shinobi.

And she was, more than Naruto and Raj, showing up to receive some kind of assignment or duty and gladly molding herself into whatever team she was put into. She enjoyed the hunt, as she called it once, and Konoha loved their newest elite. Part of him held a little jealousy towards the looks the slender wolf-taught woman garnered from men in the village. The other part held some little perverse residue from Jiraiya and Rajan and he proudly claimed that was his….

Only in his head though.

Ryo came to stand with him in the kitchen to take an inquisitive sniff at what he was attempting to make. She growled a bit and took out the window, off to catch a rabbit or other game she could find. Even though the three of them had eaten in Dorsa a few times, most of their diet had been wild game. Other foods did not always agree with the twins as they had been out on the trails for far longer than Naruto or the kids.

Raj and Ryo still took out to the forests surrounding Konoha to catch whatever small game they could rustle up. They had to learn quickly that the Forest of Death, as it was generally called, was off limits and that the Nara Clan's deer were also off limits. Shikamaru, however, did give the twins a chance at a deer every few months and taught them how to preserve the meat. Ryo and Raj had been grateful to them but as of late Raj was taking a liking to some other foods as well as Ichikaru's. .

The kids ate whatever they got their hands on.

Naruto, who had once lived off of ramen alone, and then wild game alone, was enjoying the choice he now had. He couldn't cook to save his life though, except for ramen. He had to try though because sooner or later there were going to be two imps bothering him. Rena and Shioni were still in Rena's room. The Umino girl had stayed with them because there was some big thing that was going on with the council and Iruka had practically begged him to take the girl so he could prepare for the upcoming graduation test.

Naruto himself hadn't gone to the council meeting because Ryo had always been the leader of their little band. He saw no reason to change that now. The only time he attended was when it was requested or Ryo was on a mission and he was not. Now that Ryo had adjusted, she was more suited to the political wrangling that went on and had a better head on her shoulders. Naruto was sure that Tsunade appreciated another female voice on the council as well. The tradition mainly was for the males of the clans to take up such positions but Naruto never was one for the norm.

Naruto sighed and gave up on the rice he was trying to make and reached for cereal instead. At least there were stores and food aplenty around here. It was not like he had missed a kill and there was no meat. He filled a bowl and sat at the table to enjoy the small bit of silence he had to himself. Rena's wolf, Riri, snored happily at his feet. He had to admit the little wolf puppy had filled up the past couple of months and she lent a small sense of 'home' to their world. She was after all a wolf.

"Oy Sonkei, you seen my wraps?" Raj came into the living room doors that lead to the gardens. Much like they had predicted, Raj still slept in the solitary sturdy tree outside. Raj sat on the couch in the living room, digging through his bag.

"No, not really, you and Bushy Brows going at it today?"

"Hai, he and the old guy are back in the village so we figured we'd have some fun."

"Right, fun" Naruto snorted and took another spoonful of cereal. "Is TenTen-san going to be there?"

"Shut up you damn fox." Raj growled and went about searching the room he stored all the stuff he kept, just off the living quarters. Naruto could hear him cursing and digging through the mess that was his corner of the house.

Naruto chuckled and shook his head. Raj was an eternal pervert, just like Jiraiya, or so they had thought. Shortly after they had settled in, once word had gone around, Rock Lee had shown up to see Naruto for himself. Ever the carbon copy of Might Gai, Lee had challenged him to see how his 'eternal youth' had withstood his absence from the village. Naruto refused and refused and finally shoved Raj towards Lee and told about how Raj was a taijutsu freak just like him and Gai.

That was a disaster cause now Raj and Lee were now 'eternal rivals' and the two constantly were testing the other. Gai had even joined in on this rivalry and took to giving pointers to Raj who, for the most part had his own style, but his style was a bit sloppy considering he fought against wolves not people.

Gai-sensei had even brought Neji and TenTen into the fray as well. And that's when Raj's focused changed. TenTen was a weapons master, she used scrolls to summon weapons; lots and lots of weapons, and Raj had instantly fallen head over heels for her. Or with the fact that she was a weapons freak just like him, Naruto was not sure.

Problem for Raj was he had competition. It was well known, at least how Sakura told him, that TenTen loved Neji, kinda like she once had loved Sasuke. Naruto could assume that maybe Neji was protective of TenTen but afraid to suck her into the whole Main/Branch family dynamics that the Hyuuga had and kept his distance. So it was now a sore point for Raj. He was used to being able to charm a girl and garner her attention. TenTen did train with Raj and he'd seen the pair talking before, but it seemed she only had eyes for Neji and Raj was frustrated with the whole thing.

And Naruto could not pass up the chance to poke fun at his brother after his years of being a womanizer in Dorsa.

"You didn't answer my question." He smirked evilly as Raj returned, wrapping white bandages around his right fist, teeth holding on to another set of bandages for his left.

"Bite me, Sonkei, she's not gonna be there." Raj snarled through clenched teeth. "You're enjoying that way too much."

Naruto laughed as Raj stormed out the doors, off to meet up with Lee and Gai. Naruto was having way too much fun with the little 'romance' Raj had garnered for himself, especially seeing that Raj was the attention of about three-fourths of the female populace of Konoha, civilian or shinobi. Wherever Raj went there was fawning fan girls garnering for 'his' attention.

"He's lying through his teeth you know." Ryo snickered from the window sill she sat in, munching happily on an apple she had snagged from somewhere.

"Oh what makes you think that?"

"I can smell it on him. Something's different." Ryo smirked knowingly and took a sharp bite of her fruit, twirling it a little in her hand afterwards. "And it's not that dark haired girl he trains with when he's with Lee and Gai, she smells like metal. This one smells like flowers and petals, sweet almost."

"Oh finally got over that spell did he?" Naruto snorted, took his bowl to the sink and leaned back against the counter to face Ryoki head on. "And you can smell it on him?"

Ryo got a wicked grin on her face and cocked her head only slightly to one side. "How the hell do you think Raj figured out what we were doing?"

"Other than the fact that we all lived in the same place out in the open?"

"Idiot." Ryo came over to pin him to the counter both of them smirking like mad as she did so. "No, he could tell just like I can tell and you're as dense as ever Kitsune."

"Eh, gotta keep em guessing, Ookami."

"He comes back late and leaves in a hurry." Ryo pushed away and headed back for the window. "He's found something."

"Where are you off to?"

"I've got a mission briefing with Nara and Akimichi. Yamanaka apparently is otherwise occupied and they need filler."

"Be careful."

"As always Kitsune, how much trouble can we get into?" Ryo smiled knowingly and waved a little. She turned and looked like she was about to head out but turned again towards Naruto. "Oh, and you might want to ask the twins what they're doing with those shadow clones of yours."

"What?"

"I've been asked how the kids can be in two places at once, which means they're creating clones for something." Ryo shrugged.

"Wonderful." Naruto sighed. "Why do I always get to be the investigator?"

"Cause they're your kids." Ryo laughed and took off before he could rebuttal. He frowned as he tried to figure out what it was the two could be doing with shadow clones and how they were keeping them up long enough for it to be any benefit. Of course the twins were smarter than he was; maybe they figured something out with the clones that he had not. "Morning you two." He smirked knowingly leaning over the counter to look at the two girls trying to sneak outside.

"Morning Tou-san." Rena greeted back and Shioni merely waved a bit. "Kaa-san and Otooji already leave?"

"Yep, just you guys and me. " Naruto grinned a bit and pointed out the door. "Feel like getting into some trouble today?"

Both girls lit up and nodded enthusiastically. He'd take that as a yes.

* * *

"Today's mission," Naruto said loudly as they stood in the busier streets of Konoha. Shioni and Rena looked up and giggled as he made a huge deal out of it, but really this was going to be fun for him too. "Is to find your Otooji but not let him find you."

"Why Tou-san?" Rena giggled and looked down at Riri, sniffing eagerly at the ground already. The near white wolf was exactly what Naruto was betting on to find his brother. Sure he'd be able to scan the village quickly, but he'd be noticed by his chakra, using Riri maybe they'd find him and Naruto could come up on him slowly, without triggering Raj.

"Because," he knelt down quickly, holding his hand up to his mouth like he was giving away some big secret. "I think your Otooji has a girlfriend."

Rena's eyes went wide and Shioni giggled some more. "No!"

"Yes!" Naruto stood back up and began to look around. "So we have to figure out who it is…so I can tease him about it later."

Rena and Shioni shared a quick glance, straightened up and took off with Riri leading the way. He trusted the two to be okay by themselves because of Riri. Ryoki had quickly taught the wolf all the proper behaviors and signals that they had with the wolves out at the Tree. Riri knew when there was trouble and would howl.

It was not just the wolf; it was that by now most in this neighborhood knew Rena and Shioni. Rena was a good kid and was always very nice to anyone she met and the locals nearby appreciated such manners in a girl her age and as such treated her like they would their kids. They were relatively safe here in the village.

So he began heading for the training grounds, knowing exactly where Gai and Lee liked to have their bouts of 'eternal youth' and decided to see if that was indeed where Raj was. Naruto smirked as he saw Ryo was right, Raj had been lying through his teeth and no one was to be found out on the grounds. Lee was even absent so Naruto had to wonder why Raj had gone with such an easy thing to check.

He started back for the village, checking various places and restaurants to see if Raj was just getting breakfast first and had only acted hurried. As he passed people greeted him or watched him pass. It was still strange to hear people calling him 'Namikaze-sama' with such ease. Naruto found himself responding to the name with greater ease as well. He was actually assuming the name as his own.

Part of him felt ashamed. Uzumaki had to have been his mother's name. Jiraiya had told him a little about the red-headed woman from Whirlpool country and how she came to Konoha when Whirlpool was destroyed. She had died in childbirth blissfully unaware of what Minato was about to do to their only child and he had been given the honor of carrying on **her** name, not Minato's. But now that it was convenient he had retaken his sire's name.

"_We always call the offspring after the sire." _ Kiro's words still had a way of working their way into his thoughts and he constantly worried about the foxes and the wolves.

So he did something he probably should not have done. He ducked down an alleyway and checked around him. He rolled up his sleeve and dragged a fingernail across the black tattoo indicating his status in the Fox Clan and did the proper seals. Again he checked around him for any kind of observers and then slammed his palm to the ground. A few moments later, as the smoke cleared, he found himself again face to face with a bright gold fox, with black ears and brown eyes.

"_**Naruto-sama!"**_ Kota barked happily and leapt up to lick at his face. _**"Wait! We are in danger?"**_ the fox quickly changed position to guard Naruto. Naruto laughed a little and leaned down to pat the fox between identical black ears.

"Sorry Kota, no, we're fine. I was…I was worried."

Kota sat down and swiveled his ears back and forth as he stared up at Naruto. "_**Worried? About us?" **_

"Hai, a little. Anyway, I need your help for something." Naruto pointed behind Kota. "Mind hiding the extra tails there Kota-san?"

Kota nodded enthusiastically and hid his extra tails, leaving only the one. He barked happily and jumped up around Naruto's shoulders, as he used to do in the forests of Grass, and snuggled there happily. "_**I will admit, Naruto-sama, we have missed you as well. Kouka misses Rena-chan horribly!" **_

Naruto began to walk back out into the main streets, not sure why he was taking such a risk with Kota there on his shoulders, but there was something he had to test. Sure he was going to use Kota to find Raj, but there was something else…something he had to see.

Ryo always told stories to the twins, when they were little, of when the Demons and the Mortals were equals, when they could live together in peace. Despite the fact that he had Kota hide his tails, Naruto knew that his size and his coloring 'should' mark him as not a normal fox. And with his history it might trigger some of the old reactions he was used to.

But if it did not happen and they brushed it off, could the old ways be brought back? People accepted summoning creatures readily enough. Why should it be any different? Ryo always talked in some wistful sort of way about those times, as if she thought they could be again. Where she and Raj really could be of the Wolf Clan…

"_**This place is much busier than Dorsa, Naruto-sama!"**_ Kota barked happily from his perch sniffing the air and licking his lips.

Naruto nodded and laughed. Some had begun to notice Kota. But none had reacted badly towards him yet. They merely took a second glance and then went about their business. Naruto shrugged, reached up to scratch at the fox's ears and smiled in content. "Now for the reason I summoned you."

"_**Hai!"**_

"I need to find Raj…"

"_**And he did not answer howls? That is odd for Rajan." **_

"Oh I didn't howl, not here anyway. I'm trying to spy on him Kota." Naruto smirked to himself. "Rena and her new friends are already out looking for me to."

"_**And the twin kits?" **_

"They are in school, causing trouble no doubt." Naruto patted Kota and motioned for him to get down. "Try not to draw attention to yourself Kota, when you find him come back to me and lead me there."

"_**Hai, Naruto-sama!" **_Kota bounded off into the streets, people watching him go and then looking up to Naruto as if he would explain the summoning to them just because they were watching him. He merely continued on his lazy walk, enjoying the sunny day.

It was not long until Kota returned with a white ball of fluff riding atop his head, barking excitedly as they approached. Naruto laughed as Kota skidded to a stop in front of him and wagged his tail in time with Riri's.

"So you found the girls then?"

"_**Hai, Naruto-sama, and they have found Rajan. Naruto-sama, there are cousin kind here!" **_Kota looked up at Riri who licked the fur between Kota's ears. "_**Riri-sama says she belongs to Rena-chan." **_

"Hai, she does. She was a gift." Naruto began to follow the two animals, turning around quickly to lead him towards his target. "Has Rajan noticed Rena or Shioni?"

"_**No, they are being very quiet, very odd for Rena-chan." **_

"Rena's still adjusting a bit. She's not in school yet."

"_**School?" **_

"Training Kota."

Kota continued on in silence, growling lowly to the wolf atop his head as they jogged down the streets of Konoha. Again Naruto began to notice that no one took more than two looks at the pair of animals and then shrugged them off. He'd have to test things further later…maybe.

When they neared the area that the park was in, Kota darted upwards, taking to the rooftops and slowing his pace and lowering his belly to the roofs. Naruto followed and began to conceal himself a bit more and began to search the area.

Before long Kota stopped and sat down, his tail curling around his white feet and making him look like a fox statue in the sunlight. Riri leaped down and headed for a clump of trees nearby, and Naruto could see two little girls watching from behind a tree, staring towards the park.

Naruto sat next to Kota and gaped at the scene in front of him. Raj was not training with Lee or Gai, he was not harassing Neji or TenTen, he was hanging upside down from the swing set in the park, swinging lightly back and forth as his legs kept him balanced on the thin metal bar holding up the swings themselves.

Below him a woman swung slowly as well, sitting timidly upon the swing just below and to the right of Raj. And who it was nearly made Naruto laugh out loud and fall off the roof he was spying from. The tan jacket was different, it had tinges of purple in it now and had a defined black mesh beneath it, but the haircut was a dead giveaway. It was Hyuuga Hinata swinging below Rajan.

"_**Who is the shark-eye, Naruto-sama?" **_Kota whimpered lightly and nudged at his hand. "_**I had heard the shark-eye was long lost in the demon clans."**_

"But not in the human ones." Naruto whispered back and began to maneuver himself towards Rena and Shioni. "There is a whole clan of the Shark-eye here."

"_**Amazing…it would seem the shark has gotten interested in the wolf-eye." **_

"Doubt it." Naruto snuffed. Unless something had drastically changed, Naruto did not see Hinata being that interested in Raj's bloodline limit.

"_**How amusing though," **_Kota grinned around needle sharp teeth. "_**Fox-eye, Shark-eye, and Wolf-eye all in one place." **_

"The Fox-eye isn't here anymore Kota. It left with the Uchiha Clan."

"_**But you have the fox-eye now." **_

"But my kits are of the wolf-eye." Naruto smiled down at Rena as he came up behind the two. "The Fox-eye will not manifest itself again in the human clans."

Rena's eyes went wide when she finally saw Kota. She wrapped her arms silently around the fox's scruff and buried her head in the fox's fur. Shioni only stared wide eyed at the fox silently fingering her collar of her shirt as she watched Rena greet Kota. Naruto leaned down gently and patted Shioni on the head. "It's okay if you want to touch him, Kota doesn't bite. Rena why don't you four go somewhere to play, I'm gonna spy on Sonkei a bit."

Rena nodded, grabbed Shioni's hand and brought her closer to Kota, who to his credit was still a huge teddy bear and he laid down flat to allow this new girl to climb on his back, as Rena did the same with Riri. After they were gone, Naruto returned his attention to Raj and Hinata. This was not what he was expecting to see when he set out to uncover Raj's little secret.

He began to channel more chakra to his ears and soon he could hear the little creaks the swings made when Hinata pushed herself backwards and then allowed herself to swing a bit. Raj was matching her movements, smirking oddly at her behavior.

"So, this is what Ryo was saying was so much fun Oy?" he finally began to comment. Hinata's white eyes stared up at him and nodded.

"It still seems unreal, Rajan-sama, that you and your sister survived in the wild like that."

"What'd I tell you about that whole 'sama' business? I'm no Lord, Hinata."

"No but you are connected with the Namikaze Clan." Hinata ducked her head, returning to her swinging. "To Naruto-kun."

"Oh, so you did have a thing for Sonkei?" Raj smirked a bit and flipped down till he was balancing on his feet on the swing beside Hinata. Hinata merely blushed and ducked her gaze away from Rajan. "Guess the girls just have a thing for that good-guy kick huh?"

"Oh well no, he just was..." Hinata began to explain, blushed again and hid her face.

"You shouldn't hide Hinata-chan!" Raj proclaimed loudly and began to swing himself. "You're much too important and beautiful to hide your face like that."

Hinata started and stopped her movement, staring at Raj like he was lying to her. Just as Naruto had guessed Hinata had not changed too much since last he saw her. It filled him with an odd sort of guilt hearing that perhaps he had always overlooked the shy girl, not sure why her actions towards him always consisted of her blushing and putting her index fingers together. Of course Ryo said it best when she said he was as dense as a rock when it came to such things.

Give him a wolf, a proud boastful wolf, willing to claim what was hers. It left nothing to wonder and he liked his direct relationship with Ryo. It was thrilling. And he had always seen Raj as the type to enjoy the same chase. But now, watching Raj's mannerisms he saw the change. He was being patient and encouraging towards Hinata. Naruto straightened a bit, he was protecting her!

"Anyway, you're with me. I may be Ryo's brother and all but that doesn't make me a Clan member. I'm just some nameless jerk who likes to stick his nose in where it doesn't belong." Raj said proudly. "So what do you say to some breakfast, Hinata? I'm starved."

Hinata only nodded numbly and stood from her seat and blushed as Raj hopped up, paid her only a little nod and started letting Hinata lead the way. Naruto found it so hard to keep from laughing. Raj was playing a dangerous game here, but it was one he had never thought his brother to take. Hyuuga was well known in this village and by now even Raj had to understand the interrelationships of the Clans. And he had distracted Naruto with tales of TenTen and Lee to keep what he had really found a secret.

He'd found someone to protect….something Raj was highly dedicated to. Protecting the wolves, the Tree, his sister, Naruto, the kids, Raj was a protector. He'd found the one person in the village that needed that and was now enamored with her. Naruto sat back a bit to watch them walk away, somewhat mesmerized by the way Raj kept a few steps behind Hinata and close enough that if she wanted to she could reach out and touch him.

"You know, Tou-san, if you wanted to know about Otooji's girl you could've asked."

Naruto's head shot up and found Mino smirking at him, hanging upside down from the tree he was hiding behind.

"So you two ARE up to something with shadow clones." He growled a bit at Mino, who was grinning like he had won some prize.

"Not really, we're using them like they're supposed to be used." Mino flipped down and crouched next to him. "We're in class Tou-san really; it's just its boring. So we use the clones to find out more interesting things for us!"

"And how does that work exactly. Even clones have a limit Mino-kun." Naruto crossed his arms and frowned. "And it's not like you can have your clone come striding into the class to hand you what they found."

Mino blinked the way he always did when something Naruto did confused him. Naruto wondered how many times he shared that same blink with his son.

"Tou-san, the clone doesn't have to tell us, we just know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"When the clone gets destroyed, we know what the clone did. It comes back to us."

"_My turn to blink, I suppose." _Naruto groaned and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "Mino, I…"

"You never noticed it Tou-san?" Mino whispered almost like he was telling a secret. "We figured it out when two of our clones got in a fight. We were in class and the clones kinda destroyed each other. It was like we suddenly felt like we had to finish the fight for the clones because I kinda got up and yelled at Miska for her cheap trick."

"So you're saying that the clone's experience comes back to you?"

"Yeah, kinda." Mino's clone nodded. "Just like tonight I'll know you caught me!"

And with that Mino's clone puffed up in smoke, dissipating with the light wind in the air. Naruto sighed heavily feeling there was more to Mino and Miska's 'spying' as they called it. Still, what if what he said was true. Naruto's eyes went back to the retreating pair and back over his shoulder the way Kota had gone with the girls.

Well all good theories deserved at least a test.

* * *

Ryo sped behind the two friends, Shikamaru and Choji. Their mission was a relatively easy one; inspect one of the border points. A barrier kept up by the village to warn of early invasion. One that had been beefed up after a prior invasion was not stopped by the barrier towns and points.

It seemed rather pointless to send three out to check such a thing, but it helped her to have such missions that got her away from the village from time to time. It gave her a chance to return to what she knew best.

As much as she tried for the good of Naruto and the kids, she found herself wishing for a reason to call on Kiro and Kuroi, to return to the great tree of Houkou. Ryo was ashamed, she believed herself strong enough to face any situation thrown at her and as it turned out, this was one she was having trouble with. As hard as she tried, being 'human' just was not in her. She was a wolf, she was raised as such, and to be away from her pack was slow torture.

But it should not be. She was with her pack all along. Naruto and Raj still hunted with her, they took a few missions together as they could, and left the kits with Naruto's former mentor Umino. The Kits! The Kits were excelling in this new environment; she could not ignore their growing pleasure with having others in which to play with and new things to experience other than the wolves and the tree.

Ryo was selfish. She wanted her old life back, where it was only her, her brother, Naruto and the wolves. She would go to humans when she needed to, but mainly she stayed with her family. Where she thrived for so long she now felt doubt.

"_I want to be a wolf forever, Tou-san!" _

_A deep chuckling sound as soothing and warm as ever came as a large white muzzle snuggled into her chest. She hugged the nose as best she could with too small arms and too small hands. The wolf allowed her to latch on and then raised her up as he sat, pale blue eyes gleaming in the moonlight as she smiled at the demon wolf. _

"_My Little Wolf, poor little wolf." He chuckled. "Someday you might need the humans, as I once did. We are all of the great line of the 10-Tailed. To us he gave us his eyes, and to the mortals he blessed them with Chakra. He gave us his power so that we might carry on his will."_

"_But humans kill each other so needlessly. They hunt when they do not need to and they fight though they have their territories clearly defined. They are selfish Tou-san." _

"_That is true, they have lost their ways. But do you know what I see in you, my Roki-kun?" _

_Ryoki shook her head, sitting on the tattooed muzzle of Houkou high in the air as the five-tailed looked to the full moon above. She looked up at is as well, marveling in how close the object seemed sitting there on one of the fabled tailed demon's nose. _

"_No what do you see?" _

"_I see hope." The old wolf huffed and a tail came up to wrap around her protectively. "Hope that demons and humans could become what they once were. You and your brother were not afraid of me or my kin. You knew we belonged together and you learned the old ways. There are others Roki-kun, others willing to learn." _

Ryo refocused ahead of her and wondered just how much hope Houkou had placed in her and Raj. The old wolf seemed so sure humans would accept demons again but almost every country had captured and defiled the power of the tailed beasts. She had balked when she heard how alone Naruto had been. Appalled at how Gaara had been treated. She could only imagine what each and every Jinchuuriki that had been created had gone through.

It was suffrage for both the demon and the mortal. And she found she could not easily trust those that had created such a thing. How could Houkou believe that something like that could be accomplished?

"You're awfully quiet this morning."

Ryo snarled at Nara, looking back over his shoulder with that half-lazy gaze on her. "And you and Choji have been relating old tales to each other this whole trip. How's a poor girl supposed to stay in a conversation she knows nothing about?"

Nara merely huffed and turned back to their destination. Choji seemed to wither a bit, slowed his pace to be in line with her, and bowed his head. "I apologize, Ryoki-sama."

"Oh I was just poking at you Choji." She smirked and picked up the pace. "I really don't mind that much."

As they neared the location where the barrier's one marker should be something laced up her spine. Something that made her come to a stop on a tree branch and start taking in their surroundings. Choji and Shikamaru noted her change in behavior and stopped as well.

The place where the barrier guard should have been, the marker, was deserted and it looked almost like an earthquake had hit.

"What the hell…" Shikamaru was whispering from his position in the lead assessing both damage and what could have caused such in just a short period of time. According to the Hokage they had only lost contact with this particular post a few hours ago. He scanned the ground and the trees and saw no real evidence that anyone had been there at all, save for the large crater now present.

Ryoki froze. She knew the chakra that still hung heavy in the air. It filtered into her nostrils and flared hot up her nerve endings. She knew this chakra…

"_What is it Aneue? Why does it feel wrong around the tree?" _

_Ryoki wasn't sure either, all she knew was there was a foreign chakra around the Tree and Houkou was nowhere to be found. She quietly crept along the great boughs of the tree, looking for any sign that the wolves that lived there were around, but they were not. _

_Then she saw the flash of black, something that did not belong, darting away from the great plain just outside the tree line. One of the black cloaks stopped and looked up to her and Raj, his eyes boring into them for only a mere second before shrugging and moving on. _

"_Those eyes…it was the ten-tailed." She thought then began heading the way the black cloaks had come. Something was not right, if the ten-tailed had come to speak with Houkou, why were they not at the tree and why couldn't she sense the wolf demon? _

_As they neared the tree line they began to feel more of the familiar presences that were the wolves of Houkou's pack. When they got out into the open it was almost like a dream. There in the large clearing lay Houkou who looked like a crumbling earth statue instead of the proud five-tail that he was. He did not budge or turn his massive head to see the twins approach…only Kiro and Kuroi did. _

Ryoki knew this chakra very well. It was the same chakra that had stung her as she and Raj realized Houkou would not wake again. It was the ten-tailed chakra. The Rin'negan had come to Konoha to search out the Kyuubi. That was the only explanation she could garner once she realized what she was faced with.

"Ryoki, what is it?"

Calm Nara's voice, it was a stabilizer that shocked her back into the present and to calm herself. Naruto had explained that Shikamaru had been a lazy sort before he had left Konoha and he was not sure what had caused the change in initiative on Nara's part. Ryo could sense it in him it was purpose, this man had a purpose and it was to protect the village they had left that morning.

"I know this chakra." She whispered turning back to face the village they could not see behind them. "If there were any people here, they are dead."

"But…"

"That is the way of the 10-tail." She growled to Choji's protest. Ryo pushed up her short sleeve and revealed the black marking on her arm. She'd been itching for a reason to call on the wolves, begging for one, and now she had one. "You two may want to go on ahead to warn the Hokage."

"Not without you." Nara replied calmly. "If you know this chakra then you know this intruder. You may know something we can use."

"I have not seen this chakra, I have only felt it." Ryoki snarled back at Nara. "But I know those who have and I do not think you want to be here when I summon them."

Choji and Shikamaru shared a look between them then Nara crossed his arms in front of him and locked his knees. "If you believe that is your best course of action then let's see it."

Ryo froze and speared Shikamaru with her eyes. Nara stood still and unwavering; he was not going to leave without her. Choji only fidgeted lightly behind Shikamaru, keeping an eye out behind them to where the post should have been. He still wanted to believe there were those alive in the rubble.

Seeing Shikamaru's resolve Ryo turned away from them and drew blood from the black marking of the Wolf Clan on her shoulder. She flew through the hand signs then flew towards the ground, calling on the summoning she had known since she was a small girl.

With the large cloud of smoke cleared Ryo sat atop Kiro's back, Kuroi standing nearby sniffing the air and growling.

"Ryoki, why have you called us?" Kiro snarled his lips curling back to reveal the familiar stained canines.

"I know why she has called us." Kuroi answered for Ryo as she began to look around their surroundings, focusing on the two males in the trees that obviously were not Naruto or Rajan. "Feel the air Kiro, the chakra is unmistakable."

Kiro began to growl lowly and his lips curled back into a snarl. He felt it now as well. Ryo stood on his back and took a glance up at Choji and Shikamaru. Shikamaru held his ground and did not balk at the sight of the 4-and-3-tailed wolves now in their midst. Choji had backed off a bit but he nervously smiled at Ryoki when her eyes met his.

"The 10-tailed has revealed himself." Kiro finally found his voice again. "He has come for Kyuubi-sama."

"That is my belief." Ryo answered and pointed towards the Leaf Village. "This happened an hour or two ago, he could be near the den by now. My howl does not carry like yours Kiro-sama."

"Plus we have seen the 10-tail fight before. We would have knowledge you do not." Kuroi surmised and Ryo nodded to the coal black wolf.

Kiro's green eyes focused on Choji and Shikamaru. "Where is the pack?"

"They are back in the village. We hunt with different packs depending on the need here." Ryo explained.

"Then that makes the job of summoning our pack harder." Kiro snarled. "We need Rajan and Naruto…"

Shikamaru, to his credit leapt down to the forest floor and looked up at Kiro, showing off his full height and size. "Whatever Choji and I can do we will."

Kiro lowered his head to come face to face with Shikamaru. The two stared, unwavering for a few seconds before Kiro snuffed hard in his face. Shikamaru still did not move.

"How odd for a deer to not flee in the sight of a predator." Kiro chuckled a bit. "Very well shika, if you are so eager to help us, call down your friend and we will form the circle all we need is your chakra."

Shikamaru made a wave to Choji who finally came down as well. Kuroi began to draw intricate lines in the dirt below them with her large claws and Ryo took a spot in one of the circles she had drawn. Even though she had already summoned Kiro and Kuroi she knew most of the chakra would come from the alphas of the pack, they needed only a human hand to guide where they wanted the pack to show up.

Choji and Shikamaru mimicked her and took spots as well, sitting instead of standing. Ryo could not help but wonder what the motivation was behind their offer to help the demon wolves, but it caused her to think of Houkou again. Maybe there were others out there willing to learn like he thought.

And as the chakra spiked around them and more wolves began to appear, Ryoki felt more and more at home again, once more with her pack. As the wolves nosed her and whimpered excitedly at her presence she turned to Shikamaru and Choji, sitting as still as possible among the throngs of demon wolves.

"They will not harm you," she comforted. "They know their prey is not you and I am here so they will trust you."

Shikamaru stood and glanced around. "I guess you weren't lying about there being more demons out there. But how does this help us?"

Ryoki looked up to Kiro imploringly. They had not been able to stop the Rin'negan from killing Houkou, how did they hope to stop him now? But there were numbers on their side and Naruto had control over the fox's chakra; he would be stronger than Houkou would have been.

Still she found that all she could do was howl.

* * *

Naruto knew that Raj had found out he was following him and Hinata not too long after he started tailing them. So much for being unnoticed but still Raj allowed him to tail the pair through the streets to a small little food stand somewhere off the beaten path.

"Oy Sonkei just couldn't keep your nose out could you?" Raj finally turned to him, grinning in his usual fashion.

Naruto shrugged and caught up with Hinata and Raj, scratching at the back of his head as he went. "Well you know how it is Sonkei, can't have you keeping secrets on us."

Hinata was blushing so hard Naruto was sure she'd pass out but instead she merely reached a tentative hand towards Raj's back and latched on to his shirt. Naruto began to notice another change in Hinata's appearance, now that he was closer to them. Her headband was now around her actual forehead, not her neck as she previously preferred.

"So this is what you've been hiding." He smirked happily and bowed his head to Hinata. "It's been a long time Hinata!"

"Hai, Naruto-ku…Naruto-sama." Hinata quickly corrected herself.

"He ain't a lord either Hinata." Raj gave her a friendly little nudge with his elbow.

"Yeah Hinata, and all this formality business is taxing." Naruto shrugged it off. "I'm not that much different than I was."

"Sure you are." Hinata quickly defended him. "Everyone can tell you are much stronger now."

"Well stronger does not mean 'different' it just means stronger." He winked a bit at her. "Ask Raj here I'm still a goof ball."

"So we were just heading for some breakfast Sonkei, I know you already ate." Raj was mentally trying to nudge him away now wanting more alone time with Hinata. "Aren't you supposed to be watching the runts?"

"Hai, but that's what shadow clones are for."

"You and the twins Sonkei." Raj frowned.

"Mino came up with the idea. Did you know he was tailing you already?" Naruto grinned evilly.

"Sure I have. I've dispelled quite a few clones already when he gets too careless with em." Raj pointed to the place they were headed and moved to sit among the other patrons. "Miska's better at it though."

"Miska-chan has shown up around the Hyuuga compound a few times. Father knows she's there but cannot find her unless he uses his Byakugan." Hinata put forth, which shocked Naruto a bit.

"I apologize; I will try to let her know that's not acceptable." Naruto flushed a bit. What were the twins trying to do with this? They were pushing their luck trying to spy on some of the higher clans.

"It's alright Naruto-san; I think Father is just as curious about her and her sister as she is about us." Hinata shrunk a little.

"Figures." Raj snorted. "He's still worried our eye is some form of the Shark Eye or something."

"That's pretty deep for someone like you to figure out." Naruto laughed and clamped Raj on the shoulder. "So Hinata are you here spying on my brother and his eye?"

"Oh no! I would never…"

"He's joking Hinata." Raj growled at Naruto threateningly. Naruto merely smiled at Rajan and leaned against a wall near where the two were sitting.

Naruto was about to ask the pair how long they had been sneaking around together when something silenced everyone inside the restaurant. It probably silenced most of Konoha. A long, lone, piercing howl broke the early morning hustle and everyone stopped to look up, even if they could not see what it was producing the sound.

"What in the world is that?"  
"Is the Inuzuka mutts clowning around again?"  
"It has to be the Inuzuka Clan…"

Other patrons around Naruto and Rajan had begun to mutter and talk as if nothing strange had happened. Most in Konoha probably would take the howl as nothing more than one of the Inuzuka dogs signaling their master or pack of something important. Naruto and Rajan knew better. Even Hinata seemed to notice the difference in the tone.

"That did not sound like any of Kiba or Hana's pack." She leaned over to Raj and looked at him closely. "Did it sound familiar to you?"

"Kiro." Raj growled and the result was Hinata backing off a little. Raj instantly was standing up and pushing his way towards the streets again, almost forgetting Hinata and Naruto. Naruto was quick to match his pace behind him and smiled a little when Hinata joined them, rushing to catch up.

"That was Kiro. Ryo wouldn't summon him unless it was necessary. Where did she go this morning?" Raj was walking swiftly through the throngs of people, dodging and slipping through those who did not move fast enough and avoiding those standing still.

Naruto moved to his side, doing the same through the people. "She said she had a quick scouting mission with Choji and Shikamaru. Nothing serious."

Another wolf howl sounded, this time Naruto noted its tone and its distance. They were still a little ways away but it was unmistakable as Kiro's baritone howl. After pausing for a second the message finally got through to the both of them and they froze momentarily staring to the sky looking for answers.

"What does he mean the 10-tailed has come?" Naruto frowned looking to Raj for the answer.

Raj had gone completely pale and his breathing had quickened. Ever so slowly the man's fists began to clench at his side. "Are you the real one or the clone?"

Naruto blinked then nodded. "The real one. The clone is with the girls."

Raj turned to eye him a moment then back to Hinata. "Hinata-sama, I have a favor of you, well Sonkei and I do."

"Of course, what is it?"

"Find Rena and Shioni, they should be near the park somewhere. Would you mind keeping an eye on them for us?"

Hinata nodded slowly, a bit confused by the request. She left quickly, taking to the rooftops to find her destination quickly and left Naruto watching Raj waiting for the answer to his question.

"This is trouble Sonkei." Raj finally said once Hinata was away. "The 10-Tailed is the Rin'negan…the man who killed Houkou all those years ago. If he's here then that means that Copy-Wheel reported back to him. We always assumed he was the leader of Akatsuki."

Naruto began to move for the gates now. If this man was the leader of Akatsuki, he must mean business. For Ryo to call upon Kiro it had to be serious because she was with Choji and Shikamaru. She would not expose the wolves without reason.

Raj took the lead as they flew through the busy streets of Konoha. Most had dismissed the wolf howls as nothing more than Inuzuka dogs. Which was good, they could avoid panic for a few more minutes if they were lucky. If they were fast enough they could intercept the threat before it even met Konoha's gates.

As they neared the exit and the training grounds they were joined by another figure, coming up behind them and keeping a safe reactionary distance away as they got used to his presence. Naruto swiveled a bit to see Kakashi coming up to speed with them also keeping his attention out towards the wolf calls.

"I figured you two knew what those meant." He said quickly as they kept moving.

"Hai, apparently Akatsuki has trailed us here at last and the leader has come to see to me personally." Naruto smirked a little. "Ryo called on the wolves, just fair warning."

"We would have assumed." Kakashi nodded.

Naruto was unsure as to why the older man kept up with them. He now knew the meaning behind the warning call and where it was they were going, why not go report to the Hokage? Of course it could just mean that Kakashi meant to join them on this incursion.

Before he could suggest to Kakashi that he warn Tsunade-sama a loud rumble drew all three men's attention to their east. They were near the walls that surrounded Konoha by now and there just a little ways away was a large chameleon breaking through the walls. So much for avoiding panic, because it seemed that the leader of Akatsuki beat them to the punch.

Naruto fought with the idea of summoning Kota back to him, but he had no way of knowing of Hinata had made it to the girls or if it was even a good idea to abandon the girls even if Hinata had found them. If he didn't summon Kota he could always go for Sota or Mota, preferring the red fox to the black, but he still hesitated before going through the motions to deal with the large chameleon.

"I can't summon Sonkei, that first howl was a warning that the pack was here." Raj turned his blue eye to Naruto. "Ryo called the whole pack here; I've got nothing until they get in range."

"The whole pack? Are you crazy?" Naruto snorted. Ryo couldn't have possibly called the entire of the wolf pack from Grass; she wouldn't be able to move afterwards. The Pack had been near forty strong when they had left the Tree.

"My nin-dogs are useless against something like that." Kakashi also pointed out, looking to Naruto just as expectantly.

Naruto was backed into a corner now; he had to summon a fox that was the only way…

That was until Gamabunta came crashing into the chameleon and started forcing it back away from the village walls. The old boss toad still looked like Naruto remembered him and he smiled a little inside seeing the familiar summon. Good, Jiraiya had fixed his dilemma for him.

The large toad and chameleon grappled with one another for a while, the chameleon trying to get free from the toad's grip, wrapping its long tongue around the toad's midsection. Finally Gamabunta pushed the chameleon back into the trees surrounding the gates of Konoha, away from the population and back into the forests.

Naruto landed on one of the gate's outlook points with Raj just to his left and Kakashi to his right. Jiraiya came shortly after and stood behind the three of them. In all the dirt and debris flying from the summons Naruto could not find the Akatsuki, he could not even tell if it they were there in their normal pair conflagration. All he could see was dust clouds and the smell of crushed earth and reptiles from the summons.

Raj, however, was practically snarling by this point. His gaze never left one point out in the great beyond and his Butaigan was wide and enlarged slightly. The behavior was so strange coming from Rajan. Usually he was excited and eager for a battle but it was a carefree sort of excitement. This was outright aggression.

"_The man who killed Houkou all those years ago…" _Naruto straightened as Raj's words finally hit their mark. This was the man responsible for killing Gobi no Houkou. It was why Ryoki summoned the pack and Raj was acting aggressive. This wasn't just defending Naruto for them; it was revenge for the death of the wolf that had become their father.

Finally the dust began to clear and man stood out in the open, clear for all to see. He wore the traditional Akatsuki attire, was slender and tall, with bars coming out of his nose and lips. Just as Rajan had said the man had odd eyes that seemed to be circles inside of circles…the famed Rin'negan. Beside him a woman stood, a paper rose stuck in her dark hair and both stared up to the gates at the small team of Konoha Nin that had come to welcome them.

There was the slightest intake of breath behind him and Naruto turned to see Jiraiya's frown. It was a glimmer of recognition in the old man's eyes that really caught Naruto off guard. Did he know these people?

He turned back to the Akatsuki and began to growl along with Rajan. The chakra this guy put off was intense. Why did it feel like there were more than just the two standing in front of them? Jiraiya was the first to leap down, landing mere feet from the two Akatsuki. Kakashi moved to mirror him but Rajan and Naruto stood still above. Both of them could sense the other presences and they did not want to move until they were brought out into the open.

"Yahiko….Konan." Jiraiya was speaking directly to the Akatsuki. "Where's Nagato?"

"Master Jiraiya…" the woman merely whispered and looked over to the ruddy haired man standing with her.

"I am not Yahiko, Yahiko is dead. I suppose though as his teacher you would recognize me as him." The man responded. "I am only known as Pein."

Jiraiya seemed to take this answer in and mull it around a bit. Naruto was surprised to hear that the two had referred to him as 'teacher' but then again he had never really known that much of the man's past. He'd be rather tight lipped the few weeks they had spent together.

"Then that makes you Nagato." Jiraiya spoke again. "Only he had the Rin'negan when I taught you."

Pein made no response to Jiraiya's prodding and glared up at Naruto and Rajan. Raj's growling intensified and Naruto pulled out a kunai to ready himself for anything the Akatsuki was going to try. "Do you wish to come quietly Nine-Tail? Or do we have to destroy this place to take you?"

"Show us your hand 10-Tail!" Rajan countered back fiercely. "There ain't no way you're taking Kyuubi-sama now."

"How odd of you to call me that," Pein said in the somewhat dead tone of voice he had. "The Fabled 10-Tail and the Great Sage. That must mean you know the same past as I do, you know of the great return. That eye of yours…"

Rajan smirked darkly and lowered down on his haunches much like a wolf would do before pouncing on prey. "I am a proud holder of the Butaigan, member of the Wolf Clan. You won't get away this time."

An odd smirk played across Pein's mouth as he looked up at Rajan entirely now. "So you've allied yourselves with the Nine-Tailed. Then you plan on fighting me then."

"Let's see who else you brought with you, Pein." Naruto growled pointing beyond the tree line. He could sense chakra coming from that direction specifically. He did not recognize it as Ryo's or the wolves so it had to be whoever Pein had brought with him.

Everything stood still. Pein and Naruto stared at one another intently, ringed eyes to blue, sizing the other up before heading straight in. Though Jiraiya and Kakashi were more positioned to take a shot at the Akatsuki, the older men would be doing the same, waiting for some indication of his skill before rushing in.

Raj did not have that patience in him and he pushed off from his perch and went flying down, katana drawn and gripped tightly pointed towards the Akatsuki's forehead. He was stopped, by a swirling mass of what appeared to be paper, wrapping around his sword and creating a barrier between Pein and Raj. Raj snarled angrily and tried to power his way through but the paper, amazingly, withstood the cuts of steel and did not relent.

About that time another form came flying from the shadows, aiming for Rajan with a black spear looking weapon. Naruto leapt down and deflected the man while Raj retreated from the paper wall, swung his blade back around to meet the newcomer and stood snarling with Naruto. They were up to three Akatsuki now.

This one also had the ringed eyes of the first. How was that possible?

"I thought you said there was only one 10-tail." Naruto whispered to Rajan, who too seemed to be having trouble assimilating this new data.

"There should be only one Rin'negan. They don't even look related…" Raj looked between them. "They aren't even the same Elemental type…"

"Allow me to introduce you to the six paths of pain." Pein backed away from the paper wall the woman had created. As he went four more came from the shadows of the trees around them. Each one had the same spiral eye pattern, but vastly different body types and piercings. "No one can know true peace until they have known real pain."

"Great you're a nut job." Rajan smirked darkly and readjusted his grip on his sword, pulling out his other one to dual wield.

"Sonkei, there's six of them with those eyes." Naruto focused on the woman as well. "And then the chick with the paper."

"Eh, we're nut jobs too." Rajan chuckled a bit. "All we gotta do is hold em off for a bit until Aneue shows up with the wolves, hai?"

"Is it not said in the lore of the demon clans that the Great Sage would return as a mortal to return peace to the land?" the head Pein called out to Raj.

Raj swiveled back to the Akatsuki and snarled. "It was said that the Great Sage was benevolent. You're just a murderer on a crusade."

"To each his own…" Pein said barely in a whisper and another eruption came from behind. This time a huge rhino was barreling down towards the village.

"_The eyes of the summons also have the Rin'negan….what kind of chakra is this guy playing with??" _Naruto noted as he ran through the same hand signs as earlier that day. By now Hinata had to have found Rena and Shioni. He slammed his fist to the ground and summoned all three of the fox heads, hoping that would be enough to stop the flying rhino.

Kota, Mota, and Sota appeared, looked up at him and he pointed towards the rhino. Each nodded their heads and went darting towards the summoned rhino.

"Interesting, you are calling on demon foxes now."

Naruto ducked and swung low behind him. One of the Pein's had gotten behind him so fast neither he nor Raj had sensed it. A tall slender man was reaching out his hand to touch his head and something told Naruto if he landed it would be bad. Raj reacted just as he ducked and lopped off the extended hand. They both put their backs together; each one of them snarling at the Pein's now circling them.

"Oy Sonkei, you get the feeling this isn't right?" Raj whispered to him and Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Why does that one keep summoning creatures to attack the walls when I'm already here in plain sight?" Naruto looked to see the foxes holding their own against the rhino, distracting it from its intended course.

"I dunno, but that tells me that we need to move em."

"I'm thinking the same, to open ground?"

"Hai."

Without a thought Raj moved first, going again for another strike against the first Pein they had been exposed to. Again the woman decided to interfere and block his attack. Naruto took the distraction and bolted out towards clearer pastures, dodging and ducking any of the other Pein's that had seen this move. Once their attention turned to him, Raj too began to run the same way Naruto had darted.

Naruto was halted in his escape by the main body again, appearing just ahead of him frowning. "I didn't take you as the type to run."

Naruto smirked and drew a kunai from his pouch. "Who said I was running?"

Raj landed just behind Naruto and the rest of the Pein's followed suit, forming a sort of semi-circle around Raj and Naruto.

"So if each one has a different elemental type…" Raj was figuring out loud behind Naruto. "Then each one does something different."

"Well that's just great."

"But that one." Raj indicated the one leading the pack. "That one has all six."

"I did not think that was possible."

"Such is the power of the 10-Tailed." Raj frowned and stood at the ready. "This is what we feared for so long."

Naruto found the seeds of doubt working their way into his gut. If Raj admitted to fearing something it had to be for good reason. He still could not get the unnerving feeling of this guy's chakra out of his system. Yet they had drawn him away from the village, which was a huge step because it seemed the man was hell bent on destroying the village regardless.

Or he had been hoping to draw a reaction out of Naruto by destroying the village.

Or what was **in **the village.

This time the summoner raised a ram and both Naruto and Raj took to dodging the large animal until another toad that Naruto did not recognize grappled with it. Jiraiya and Kakashi had caught up with the two and now four faced off with seven. Not bad numbers but still somewhat mismatched.

Raj leapt forwards, his focus entirely on the woman who used origami paper as both defense and offense. Naruto went for the main body and found himself being flung away, the main Pein uttering the words 'Shinra Tensi' and holding out his hands.

A bulkier Pein went for Raj, who easily deflected the odd bladed tail that came out from under the black cloak and parried him away to stand at the ready as the bladed tail swung back and forth like an animal's as that particular Pein stood in front of the one Jiraiya had called Konan.

Of all of them the woman did not have the Rin'negan, so why was she a part of the group? She did not fit in with the others.

It surprised Naruto when it was Jiraiya who moved forward, going through the hand signs and starting towards a fireball. Naruto knew those signs well enough to know what he was doing but did not understand his urgency….

Wait he was aiming for the woman as well. Fire would incinerate paper…. But why get her out of the picture if she did not have the Rin'negan, she was the least of their worries.

Again one of the six Pein's appeared before her, a fat one with a rounded face. He stood with his arms crossed in front of his face and as the fireball approached, it appeared that he absorbed it. Naruto lowered to the ground, crouching and began growling. This was bad.

His eyes focused on the main one. He hadn't even gotten close enough to strike before he had used that odd technique and pushed him away with chakra alone. He focused on Konan and her two bodyguards. One clearly was used as the bulk of the group, the brawler, the other one…appeared to be able to absorb ninjutsu. The taller slender one in the back was a summoner. That left the two in the back and Naruto was still unsure as to their abilities.

Each one did do something different. The woman with the origami was still a threat but just a lesser one so why did Raj and Jiraiya single her out?

The three fox siblings landed behind him and began to chirp and bark at him from all sides. They had witnessed the border guard dealing with the intruders. The one with the long was a mind reader; he had used the Leaf Nin's knowledge to go further in without alerting any more patrols. So as far as threats were he was the last in the bunch.

"_Wait….they're trying to raise a reaction out of the main body!" _Naruto suddenly focused on the woman as well. All of his bodies were male so why have one without the eyes and a female? Because she meant something to the main body, that was the only logical thing to come to.

Raj began to form hand signs, going for the limited earth ninjutsu he knew. "Doton: Earth Spikes!" he called out, but instead of underground version he had used against Kisame this one was a multiple version and each one shot up in a line towards the woman.

Again the fat one absorbed the technique, but while he was distracted Raj rushed forward. Only to be caught again by the one with the bladed tail, who fired what appeared to be rockets towards Raj's side. Raj used an earth shield and flipped away, snarling all the while.

Naruto looked to Kakashi hoping the sharingan revealed something they could not see but the man was just as focused on the fight as Naruto was. With all six doing something different it was going to be hard to keep switching between tactics.

So focus on one and whittle it down and then move on to the next? Was that even a possible strategy? Naruto did not know but he knew they had to try and switched his focus to Konan, as that was where Raj and Jiraiya had chosen to attack.

As Raj engaged the Bladed-Tail again Naruto came in from the side and began to try to help his brother with the bladed tail. If they could get rid of the defense, then maybe they could start getting shots in on the weaker of the bodies. He growled as his kunai was met with another appendage, so this one was not even a body it was mechanical like a puppet.

Raj and he went through their dance, much like they had with Jiraiya's frog summon many months ago. They knew how the other one fought in close range so they knew when to duck and when to back away. The body they were currently engaged with kept trying to retreat, so that really meant he was a long range fighter trying to get them at his range. They couldn't let that happen so they stayed as close as they could.

At the last second, just as the man had begun to outstretch his hands, Naruto sensed Jiraiya's chakra flying downward at them and he flipped backwards out of the way. Raj did the same, and just as he did, Jiraiya's bulky frame came down atop the Pein they had engaged and landed harshly on the puppet's body.

It shattered instantly.

Something was off in the old man's chakra and Naruto focused as he straightened. The tattoos on his face had spread out and become black, his nose had enlarged and on each shoulder a little frog sat, wrapped in black cloaks as well.

Before they could comment on the transformation, the main body began to move again, his one arm was outstretched towards them, a long spike held outstretched in his hand. It likened to when he deflected Naruto away from his intended target but none of them were in striking distance, why would he want to use that technique again?

"Bansho Ten'in!" was all Pein spoke and without warning Raj, who was the closest to the congregation around the main body, went flying backwards. It was before any of them could properly react and Raj tried to use his eye to cause the earth below him to reach up and grab him but it was happening too fast for Raj who preferred using taijutsu, not ninjutsu.

Naruto was already trying to put himself between Raj and the outstretched spike as well but it was too late and they had reacted too slowly to this new technique. At the last second, Raj turned his blade backwards toward Pein but as he hit the spike, the sword dropped unwillingly from his hand. Naruto dug his heels in and stopped just short of the two staring wide eyed at the scene before him.

It was if everything had come to a screeching halt. Pein stood silent with Raj hanging somewhat limply from the spike he had just speared him with. Naruto could not tear his eyes away from the scene as much as he really wanted to….the image of his Sonkei impaled like that was forever ingrained in his mind now.

As Pein tried to retreat his outstretched weapon, something happened. Raj's hands flew up and latched on to the end of the spike and gripped it in a death grip. Even in the rush of everything around them, Naruto could hear the low guttural growl coming from Rajan. Or was it from him? He really wasn't sure what was happening anymore.

"Rajan!"

The sound shocked Naruto and he looked towards the sound of the desperate scream and froze yet again. Ryo stood just beyond the trees like a stone statue among the wooden boughs. Her mismatched eyes were wide and feral looking and were transfixed upon her brother's body impaled on the black weapon of the Akatsuki.

Behind her another roar of grief came but this one was much more disturbing. Kiro came crashing through those same trees, his normally green eyes red with rage as he came rushing forward towards the Akatsuki. Several of the other Pein's were moving to intercept the speeding wolf and Ryo, who had begun moving the moment Kiro had rushed forward. They were surprised when another wolf came crashing from the ground below the one Pein that had yet to move or react and bit him in two.

The original Pein was still struggling to free himself from Raj's grip as his remaining bodies quickly formed ranks against Ryo and Kiro. Naruto could not understand why he did not just abandon the weapon and turn. It seemed the easiest way to be free from Raj, but the man persisted on trying to get his weapon free.

As he had been doing all along the one began summoning large creatures to assault the demon wolves. The summons were outmatched, however, and the demon wolves were tearing through them like paper, the loud assault of growls and snarls was deafening but welcome in this battle. The wolves had seen this man before, they would know much more about his abilities than what they could figure out.

Naruto finally found his footing again, rage replacing grief. He snarled and flew forward towards the Pein that Jiraiya had recognized, kunai drawn and fangs bared. Kota came blazing beside him, his own fangs bared and a fearsome looking mass of chakra cradled in his tails behind him.

Naruto knew he had to calm down as he took wild swipes at Pein. The man was easily dodging them even with Raj's extra weight. He did himself and Ryo no good if he was enraged like he was and he would not land any hits against the man unless he stopped and took a breath. After a few seconds Pein smirked at him lightly and did his odd jutsu again.

Naruto flew back unwillingly. In mid air he saw Raj's lifeless body also flying and Naruto pushed himself towards him to catch him. As they both landed the grief flared back up again. There was no smart remark coming from those lips and there was no recognition in those eyes.

It had been a long time since he felt true rage like he was right now. He could feel the bubbling nature of the fox's chakra, the demon part of him wishing for blood like any other self-respecting demon would. He had to clamp down hard to keep himself under control but a part of him did wish to let loose with the wild chakra, letting it have free reign as it once did when it belonged to the Kyuubi before him. Tails already had to be forming, he was not about to clamp down on that but he had to keep them controlled. He would NEVER transform into a demon fox, despite the circumstances he faced. He had vowed that to himself before they began to show him how to assimilate the fox's chakra.

Kakashi landed behind him and he turned wild blue eyes on the older man. Kakashi did not even bat an eye, instead kept his focus on Pein. "That ability of his has about five seconds between use. "

"Fuck." Naruto snarled. "That does not give us many options. Plus no ninjutsu because of the fat one."

A loud explosion drew their attention back towards the brawl. The fat one stood somewhat ragged in front of Kota. Kota no longer held the chakra ball in his tails. He must have thrown it at Pein right after he had use his ability to throw Naruto and Raj away.

"It seems that your fox has figured it out as well. He was just a few seconds off in his timing." Kakashi pointed out.

Kota bounded away, dodging paper spears directed his way by Konan. If they were going to hit Pein he had to get some kind of speed going and he had to have something to distract and cause Pein to either shove them away or pull them closer. They also had to get rid of the fat body with the absorption ability.

A glance towards Jiraiya found the man and the little toads intercepting Konan, giving Kota a chance to backtrack and regroup. Jiraiya was spouting toad oil all over the woman and her paper causing it to lose its rigid properties. Upon seeing this, the taller Pein returned to Konan's aid and began to attack Jiraiya. So they were right to think that the woman was important enough to Pein to protect her with one of his bodies.

Naruto let out a loud, chakra-backed whistle. Kota and his siblings formed around him their mass of tails caressing his skin as they looked up at him expectantly.

"I need to hit that window. If you guys can get him to use his jutsu while I'm coming behind you we might have a chance."

"Hai, we can try that formation." Sota snarled. "It will be tricky."

Naruto was already well aware of that but it was a bonus of being the Kyuubi now…he had a good couple of hours at this pace without slowing. Even if he did slow he'd still have a good chunk of his reserves still at the ready.

As the three colored foxes sped forward, Naruto began to tick off time in his head. He already had a good idea what would happen but as he hoped the fat Pein's absorption technique might be some kind of barrier. And most barriers had a limit.

He began forming the wind rasengan trying to keep it as small as possible to avoid detection by Pein. Just as the three foxes leapt towards Pein he did what was expected of him and used his chakra to shove the demons away. Because he was still behind the foxes when it hit, Naruto did not feel the effects. He dodged Sota's black form and began to feed all the chakra he could into the rasengan. It felt hot in his palm and he was used to throwing the mass of chakra by this point but he feared throwing because of the easy deflection.

Just as he had guessed an inch or two before the point of no return the fat Pein intercepted and took the full brunt with that damnable shield. Of course he had betted on him and fed even more chakra into his jutsu. If he could just overload the one, land a good solid hit, they'd be down three bodies.

Naruto held on as long as he could but he could no longer take the pain lacing up his arm. It was the reason he always threw the Fuuton Rasengan… this pain it caused if he held it for too long. Naruto took one last thrust at the barrier Pein and flipped backwards to Raj and Kakashi.

"You completed it." It was all Kakashi muttered as both men waited for the dust to clear. Naruto winced more as the burning sensation intensified.

"Son of a bitch…" Naruto swore, seeing just the outline of the Pein he was trying to destroy. He was still standing. As more debris cleared he could see both now and some of his rage died. It seemed the barrier was having trouble moving at least. Naruto had to be ready for at least another two or three tries, just to destroy the one.

In an instant the body of the one that had been bitten in half and the summoner Pein came flying from the sidelines. They took out the barrier Pein and landed in a bloodied heap, none of them moving or regenerating.

Kiro now stood at a ninety degree angle to Naruto, snarling at the main body. It had been he who had thrown the other bodies with such force. The demon wolf lowered his massive head to fixate upon his prey, his dark red eyes likened to blood. Naruto silently backed away a little knowing to get between a demon wolf and its prey was a bad idea.

Ryoki landed just behind him at her brother's side. Naruto instinctively inched himself between her and Pein, should he try that jutsu again with her.

"Rajan…Sonkei…" the plead was very soft and so desperate sounding Naruto shuddered. He'd never heard Ryo's voice take on such a tone. "Please…"

"I remember now." Pein was watching Ryoki with great interest. "You two are the orphans that the Gobi took in."

Instantly Ryo's blue eye turned on this particular Pein. Her growl was so convincing, so hate-filled; one easily could mistake her as the Jinchuuriki not Naruto.

"I will destroy you for this." She snarled and started standing slowly. Her eye never wavered from the man in front of them. "I do not care if you are the 10-Tail….I will kill you."

"You too know the old ways so why do you resist me?"

That really set Ryo and the wolves off. The loud roar of growls and snarls actually caused Kakashi to back away from them slightly and almost shrink. Naruto shook his head at him slowly and turned his attention back to the coming argument.

"It is because you have desecrated all of the old ways. You are nothing more than a foolish mortal wielding a weapon and creating fear!"

"I am a god now; you cannot see what I see."

"A god?" Ryo laughed harshly. "All I see is a man playing with puppets." Ryo slid right up beside Naruto. "You will need the fox-eye against him, Ren'ai."

"She has a point Nagato." Jiraiya's voice boomed as yet another body was added to the count. To Naruto he looked ragged and reaching his limit. If this dragged on much longer Naruto would be left to his own devices against the remaining two and the woman. "Show us your true face."

Naruto glared back at the Pein in front of him. From Ryo's and Jiraiya's conversations he was starting to realize none of the bodies were real…they were all puppets. But who could have that sort of range? Who would go through all that trouble?

It also meant if they were able to destroy all six but not find the real one, this whole fight was for nothing. The real one would just slink away and find more bodies to animate.

"You criticize my method, Little Wolf and you disbelieve my claim, but look around you. Neither the demon clans nor the human clans would submit to my will, even though I was meant to return. They have both become drunk off of their power, their freedom. Even the humans sought to claim the power of the demon lords." Pein made a wide sweeping motion with his arms. "There could not be peace without pain and I could not make my claim without proof. So I will take back my gifts and their freedom."

"And it was your claim that forced the demon clans to reject you." Kiro snarled. "Houkou could sense the sickness in you…the madness."

"I can see peace. You cannot set it, but soon you will."

"It will not be your peace that we see, 10-Tail." Ryo rejoined the discussion. "I know of the peace that the demon lords wished. I inherited that will from my father. The Demon Clans and the Human Clans will rise against you and your kind."

"You believe the humans would honor such tradition? Then you are blind." Pein rebutted.

A loud whine and yelp broke the tension that was rising between them all. It was followed shortly by a howl. Kuroi…she had found him. Ryoki had baited the man to give the female wolf the time to sniff the man out!

Almost at the same time Konan gasped and started heading for a high point near Konoha. "I won't let you!"

Just as she moved, Pein did as well. Before Naruto could react properly Ryo was moving forward. But unlike Raj she formed a large hill of earth between her and Pein. As his weapon embedded in it Ryo clenched her hands and the soil solidified, stopping it from going any further. Kiro came charging in fangs bared.

"What the hell are you waiting for? GET HIM!" Her eyes met Naruto's briefly and he found himself hesitating. He could not leave her to this could he?

"Wolf Art: Enclosing Fang!" Ryo yelled once Pein dodged from Kiro. Large pillars of earth rushed upwards and formed bars around Pein, forming a closing jaw.

Ryo was right, all this effort would be in vain if he did not finish off the real 10-tail. He finally shot off, following the retreating Konan. He could see Jiraiya just ahead of him, the same little toads still riding on his shoulders. After this was all over Naruto was going to have to ask the man about this jutsu, because Jiraiya did look frightening.

Kota, Sota, and Mota began to tail them both. The fox's beady little eyes looked up at him momentarily and when he gave no order they continued to follow obediently.

When they landed they found Kuroi with a large paper harpoon in her side. The large blue-eyed wolf panted heavily but showed no signs of backing down. Choji and Shikamaru stood at the ready behind her and she was going to protect the humans she had dragged along with her.

Konan had been quick to defend the real Pein and had a volley of paper arrows behind her, aimed for the wolf in front of her. Behind her was a man so wasted away by something that he brought to mind Orochimaru and then topped the Sannin in the creepiness factor. He was dark-haired, unlike his bodies, and he was in some sort of contraption with black bars protruding from his back and six lines coming from his arms. It never ceased to amaze Naruto at the lengths these nut jobs would go to for power.

Jiraiya took the lead…Naruto was still wary to approach this man. If he had enough power to control six corpses over such a range, he was still a threat despite how he looked.

"What happened to you Nagato?" Jiraiya pleaded with the pair. It was another thing Naruto was going to have to ask the Sannin about. "You used to be the kindest one…"

"You abandoned us, what do you know." Konan spat, which was a shock. Most of her words up to this point had been mere whispers.

"Something happened to Yahiko didn't it?"

That hit a button because a good chunk of the paper arrows changed their target to Jiraiya and let loose. The Sannin leapt up and away at the last second, causing the paper projectiles to fly of course in the wind.

Noting from the way Konan kept herself between Nagato and the ninja, perhaps this Pein's power was too divided to defend itself. He raised a kunai up threateningly and sure enough Konan's attention came to him, as Jiraiya landed.

"You'll pay for what you did." Naruto snarled, still brandishing his kunai.

"And what makes your justice any different than mine?" The one called Nagato finally looked up between straggly strands of black hair.

"Yours was unprovoked!" Kuroi snarled angrily from her spot. They had the two Akatsuki sandwiched between them now.

"Unprovoked!" those eyes flared up and focused on the wolf. "What of all the suffering the little nations go through when the large decide to wage war? We lose everything whenever it happens. We rebuild from scratch."

"Then perhaps you would have done better by learning to defend your own den, not out destroying others." Kuroi growled back. "And the demon clans have done nothing to yours or your kind."

"Is that so? Then why did the Kyuubi attack Konoha? Why did the nations seal your precious Lords into babies and tried to create weapons out of them?"

"Uchiha Madara provoked the Kyuubi." Naruto spoke up, his memory of the nights leading up to the attack gained from the fox led him to that belief.

"And why would an Uchiha provoke such a thing against his own village?" Nagato chuckled. "Uchiha thinks we are all pawns, but we know better. We know his wish and we will destroy him once his usefulness is gone."

"Uchiha Madara should be dead." Jiraiya frowned. "There is no way you know him."

"Believe what you will but Uchiha Madara is the one who led us to ourselves." Nagato grinned. "He showed us the old ways and taught us about the truth. He too seeks the power to overthrow Konoha."

Naruto straightened. _"Sasuke is also a member. Did he purposefully draw Sasuke in for a reason? Does he want to reestablish the Uchiha clan to destroy Konoha?" _

"There will always be war unless I stop it." Nagato lowered his head again, perhaps to return to controlling the remaining bodies. "That is my role as the holder of the Rin'negan."

"Lies!" Kuroi snapped and moved forward. As she did Shikamaru let the kunai he had tightly held between his fingers fly behind the wolf.

Each one was deflected by a paper projectile but Naruto had understood the Jonin's mark. He smirked, pulled out his own, made eye contact with Shikamaru who pulled out more. They let them loose at the same time and Konan had a hard time deflecting them all. Three hit their marks, severing the cords coming from Nagato's arms. Naruto loaded up again and took another shot, severing the last three.

Just as he ticked them off the spikes on the man's back began to enlarge. The Rin'negan fixated upon him and he felt heavy. _"I should have listened to Ryo…I should have summoned up the Sharingan." _He snarled finding he could not move. The feeling just continued to build and build to a point Naruto felt his body was just going to shatter. What the hell was this?

But with all of his attention and his power focused on Naruto, Nagato forgot Kuroi. It was either that or he believed Konan had the ability to stop the wolf. He had placed too much faith in the woman because Kuroi blew through her pitiful attempts to stop her with her origami and without much fanfare sunk her large canines into the shoulder and neck of Nagato.

Once Kuroi latched on the weight lifted from Naruto and he backed away slowly, growling at the man. Konan was once again flying towards the wolf a few more times and finally Kuroi gripped her with one of her tails and flung her as far as she could. Nagato watched her then returned his eyes to Naruto.

"How will you stop the war now? You are the only one left. You don't think that the nations will see you as a weapon? As a trump card for Konoha? The war is coming and without me no one can stop it."

"I think you underestimate mortals and demons." Naruto snarled back. "The Twins learned the old ways and so did you. If we can learn then so can others."

"Their ignorance…"

"Their ignorance will be overcome." Naruto turned his back on the whole situation. Kuroi would enact Ryo's revenge against the Rin'negan and he really did not want to see it. "You underestimate us."

Shikamaru and Choji joined up with him and finally Jiraiya turned away as well. Naruto could hear the crunching bone and finally the agonizing scream that followed only briefly. Jiraiya paused and winced for a moment but quickly overcame it and whispered something to his frogs. The female of which disappeared in a puff and the male whacked Jiraiya in the head with a short pole. With the whack the fearsome appearance that the man had taken on disappeared and he again looked like the man Naruto remembered.

As they neared to where they had left Ryo and the wolves, Naruto's gut clenched seeing Ryoki with Rajan's head in her lap, silently stroking the spiked locks away from Raj's face. She had closed Raj's eyes…his face was ashen and still Naruto expected the man to jump up and nail him good for allowing him to get hurt so badly.

But it did not happen.

Kuroi came up from behind them, small splotches of blood on her muzzle. She had finished her job and was rejoining the pack. She slinked up to the congregation of wolves now standing in a semi-circle around Raj and Ryo. The coal black wolf lightly licked at Rajan's face and seemed to patiently wait for a reaction. When none came Kuroi gently laid her head across Raj's legs and let out a whimper.

Most of the wolves, the one and two tails, were doing the same as Kuroi….lightly whimpering and snuffing around the ground where the twins were sitting. Kiro sat at Raj's feet and odd sort of rumble in his throat.

Kakashi stood a respectful distance away. Naruto wondered how nervous this whole scenario made the man. Jiraiya moved to join him and so did the two Jonin that had gone with Ryo on her mission. Naruto was unsure as to what Ryo would do if she was approached. This was family after all.

Sota and Mota both nudged at his hands gently. He reached down and scratched between their ears and began to realize that the pair would want to return to their clan now that the threat had passed.

"_**Thank you brother and sister." **_He said in the demon tongue. _**"If you are able could you return to this place in a few days? I may have a need of you." **_

"_**Of course Kyuubi-sama. What of Kota?" **_Sota replied.

Naruto looked back at the golden fox, sitting with Kakashi and Jiraiya, and he balked. "_**If Kota does not mind, I'd like him to stay here." **_

The red and black fox nodded and moved for the trees. As they retreated more Naruto straightened as he remembered another request. _**"If you would also send Kouka back to us." **_

Inwardly he frowned. They were going to need all their family to get through this trial and to hell with the villagers and their fears. Kota snuggled against his legs and chirped solemnly.

"Kota…was the shark-eye with the girls when I called you?"

"_**Hai, Naruto-sama. She said you and Raj called on her to do so." **_

Naruto merely nodded and began to walk forward to Ryoki. He honestly did not know what to expect now that the rage had subsided. Raj was her twin…her blood…there was a closeness there that Naruto could not match. Raj had been through the exact same hardships as she had. He was the last connection she had to with the wolves.

"Ren'ai…." He prodded as he got closer.

Naruto was not at all surprised when she snarled at him. There were unshed tears in her eyes but the threat she presented was still real and it was enough to make him stop and bow his head.

"Kitsune…I…" she finally turned her head away and hung it. "Please just…..one of us should…"

"Of course Ookami." Naruto nodded, knowing for just a second she had thought about the kits. "Ryo…"

"Leave us Naruto-kun." Kuroi's eyes landed on him. "Let the pack grieve for him…"

Naruto bit down the urge to ask how he was not a part of the pack but he knew what they meant. Raj and Ryo were their pups. The pack had raised them. Naruto was still a fox in whom they had taken in…he was not a wolf.

So he turned with one last look at Ryo and headed for the Leaf Nin keeping watch. He averted his gaze from Jiraiya and began to trek back towards the village.

"It almost seems like they are crying." Naruto heard Choji whisper to Shikamaru.

"Is it a good idea to leave her out by herself?" Jiraiya asked as he fell in step with Naruto.

"That is what she wants." Naruto replied robotically. "That is her family."

"And what about you and the kids?"

Naruto snarled angrily and turned his glare on Jiraiya. "He was her twin, Ero-Sannin. I knew my place in this pack well before now. To imply we are not her family because she needs to be alone to come to terms with this is insulting."

Jiraiya held his hands up briefly in a surrendering motion. Naruto turned back towards the village and continued to growl. His own grief would threaten to overcome him if he did not keep some kind of goal in mind.

"She isn't like us Jiraiya….she never was." With this blow to Ryoki's foundation Naruto wondered if she ever would be.

* * *

"_You're lying! You have to be lying!" _

The accusation continued to echo in Naruto's mind as he sat haphazardly on the porch around his home. His blurry, puffy, red eyes traveled up to his accuser, now in the tree Rajan had picked as his and settled on the silent form of his son.

Rena and Miska had secluded themselves while Mino had violently denied what Naruto was trying to explain to them. Kota and Kouka, newly returned, were with the girls and he continued to keep vigil making sure Mino did not fall from the perch and hurt himself. Since two days ago the little boy had gone to his Otooji's perch and stayed there. Mino refused to accept it. He claimed Ryo's continued absence said it all.

Naruto knew her absence was because Ryo could not accept it either and she probably could not look at the twins just yet. It would probably be too hard and hurt too much. It did not make her absence any less noticeable to the kits, however.

The first night most of Konoha had marveled at the almost musical howls that rang through the crisp night air. What had gotten to Naruto the most was when he clearly heard the Inuzuka wolves and dogs joining the course. Even little Riri, Rena's puppy, had joined in out in the yard.

It strengthened Kota's claim that they were cousin-kind. Once demon packs that had merged too far with mortals and no longer had their tails.

It was that mourning howl that had convinced the girls and they had come crying to him in the night. He did all he could do and held them and comforted them but inside he wanted to cry with them. Rajan had been the first to call him 'sonkei'. That bond had quickly formed into the first bond of family Naruto had ever had in his life. It was such a great ache in his chest that he was certain sooner or later it would burst and he would die.

As he sat watching Mino he could not help but feel the boy's pain as well. Rajan loved Mino, absolutely adopted him as his own despite Naruto and Ryoki being his real parents. Mino was like Raj in temperament and personality and there was nothing that could change that now. Mino probably considered Rajan his older brother instead of his uncle, with having only sisters and all.

A light knock brought his attention behind him and he glanced up to find Iruka standing there. He smirked a little and returned to watching Mino as his former sensei joined him in his vigil.

"How are they holding up?"

"Not well." Naruto sighed. "The girls are with the foxes…Mino…" he motioned towards the tree and shook his head. "I don't know how to fix this."

"I don't think you can." Iruka sat down and also looked up at the boy in the tree. "All you can do is be here. How are you holding up?"

"Honestly? Not well." Naruto laughed a little and tried to not let any more tears fall. He had done that enough during the few times all three kids had fallen asleep from exhaustion. "He was my brother, Iruka-sensei. He accepted me quicker than anyone should accept a stranger and he called me brother for longer than I called him that. He ……."

Iruka's hand rested softly on his shoulder and squeezed. Naruto silenced and let the man offer what little comfort he could. It was a welcome company he offered.

"What about Ryoki?"

"Kami, she's going to be messed up for a while." Naruto frowned and wiped at his eyes furiously. "If I think I feel bad, she's got to be worse. Worse thing is I don't know how to fix it." He repeated himself smiling sadly over at the brunette Chunin.

"Has she even been back yet?"

"No. Kota goes out to check for me, she's still there with Kiro and Kuroi. I don't think she can handle this without Raj here."

"Hopefully in time she will come back." Iruka crossed his legs and settled in. "Some of the twin's classmates have expressed concern. They want to come over and make sure they are alright. I told them I would check with you."

Naruto nodded. "It might do the girls some good, especially if it's Yuki and Tama. They might be able to cheer Miska up."

"I'll let them know then." Iruka let the conversation drop into silence as they both sat watching the blonde boy repositioning himself into the crook of the branch, much like Raj would have done, and settled into sleep. "Why don't you get out of here for a bit, Naruto? I'll stay here and make sure they're okay."

Naruto glanced over at Iruka seeing that the man was sincere in his offer. Really it would help to get out of the village for a minute or two.

"Are you sure? Kouka and Kota are here, I don't want them to…"

"I'll be fine." Iruka grinned. "Anyway, from what Rena says Kota is a big wuss of a fox."

"Hai, he is." Naruto stood and stretched and took one last look up at Mino. "Thanks Iruka…"

Iruka merely waved him off and settled in to keep an eye on Mino. Naruto knew Mino wouldn't likely fall from the tree he just did not want to not be there in case Mino needed him. Sadly he didn't think Mino would quite yet.

So he left the house into the darkened streets and meandered aimlessly for a while. The silent streets were a welcome change from the busy daily rush but at the same time the silence let him think. Why couldn't he had moved faster….why didn't they know about that particular skill. How did Jiraiya know the three and why hadn't he spoken up sooner about the leader of Akatsuki, he had to have known about them if he studied them all this time. All of the questions had empty answers…none of which would ease the ache of what had happened.

Naruto stepped into one of the twenty-four hour stores, purchased a good deal of sake and cups and started headed for the gates. There was still a large gaping hole from the chameleon that had struck first and he easily slipped out without warranting any attention.

He easily retraced his steps to where Ryoki would be and found her still sitting among Kiro and Kuroi. Her hair was loose, not up in her usual braid, flying lightly in the wind that was blowing that night. Her head was hung low as her fingers distractedly brushed through Kuroi's black fur. She just looked defeated, which was scary and concerning all at the same time.

Whatever the wolves had done, Raj's body was no longer with them. Naruto had never thought to ask about the traditions demons held for such occasions. Something had to have been done, but even he could not dredge up the memories as to what the wolves would do.

Naruto quietly approached the trio, noting that around them a few wolves slept or kept watch. A good bulk of the pack was gone though, returned to their beloved Tree perhaps. When he got a few feet away he stopped and cocked his head to the side to gauge their reaction to his presence. Kiro merely looked at him with wary green eyes and the females ignored him completely.

So he took more steps forward till he was finally standing just above where Ryo sat and Kuroi moved a few inches to allow him access. As he wriggled into the space, right up against Ryoki, he sat the cups in front of him and began to pour.

"I think we should drink." He said solemnly. "He would have wanted us to."

Ryo nodded against his shoulder, her head rested there lightly. She reached out tentatively to take the offered alcohol and downed it quickly before offering it up for a refill. Naruto obliged and did the same. "Ren'ai…"

"I know." Ryo spoke in a husky, soft voice. "I know… They took him back to the tree, to rest him there." She indicated the missing wolves. "The pack has decided to split. Those who still held Houkou's blood returned to the tree. They will hold guard over it still. Kiro and Kuroi and those who wished it, they want to stay here."

"Ryo…"

"If what the 10-tail says is true that copy-wheel user will be back. If we want to be rid of …."

Naruto gave her another refill and grabbed her by her shoulder. "Ryo stop…its okay. We don't have to worry about that right now. "

"I have to…." Ryo sniffed. "It's the only thing keeping me from losing it."

"So what if you do. The kits are with Iruka now anyway. He was your brother…."

Something about the way he said it cracked the normally cool nature of Ryo and she latched onto him with such a ferocity Naruto almost thought she was going to attack him for making her think about it. Instead she began to sob into his shirt, actually sob, and ask him why it had to happen.

As he had with the girls, he only held her tightly and let her go. Even when she had cried in Dorsa when she had found out she was pregnant, it had been merely tears leaking from her eyes. She still kept her cool. Now, however, she was crying and gasping and trying hard to find some reason to her loss and failing miserably. Naruto knew she'd be a mess he just wasn't comfortable with how big of one.

Between little gasps for air she'd reach for the sake. He'd join her and they drank. They would do so around the tree with Rajan and they'd have fun poking at who got drunk first. Sometimes it was just necessary to get absolutely hammered, as Raj would like to say. And the more they drank the more the ache faded and the quieter Ryoki became.

Finally they sat in silence, easily forgetting the cares they had before, staring up at the sky.

"He died doing what he loved." Ryo finally sighed and snuggled into his chest. "I just don't know what to do without him there."

"Neither does Mino…." Naruto groaned a bit realizing they were out of alcohol. "He's been sleeping in Raj's tree."

"The kits must hate me for not being there."

"No, they've been secluding themselves too. Always a wolf in them." He smirked a bit. "Mino's upset though and he won't believe it unless you tell him so."

"Fuck."

"Yeah I know, I tried to spare you that Ren'ai. Why are you two staying?" Naruto looked back at the two wolves, letting them use them as pillows.

"Because we are needed and if your claim of bringing the demons and mortals together is going to happen then we might need to start brokering truces, hai?" Kiro huffed into his face. "Honestly Kitsune, have you not learned how to lead yet?"

"No he shoved it off on me." Ryo replied. "As always the males let us females do everything."

"Excuse me?" Kiro growled but merely laid his head back down on his front legs.

"I suppose that's true. I did ask Sota and Mota to come back here…perhaps the foxes could be bartered with as well."

"This is their original territory; we will have to ask them for permission to be here." Kiro said as he closed his eyes. "But as you said as well Kitsune, we do not have to worry yet. Soon we will start my brother's work."

"Houkou wanted this didn't he?"

"Hai, he wanted peace." Ryo clutched his shirt a little tighter, another of her loses being mentioned probably struck a chord. "And maybe we shall have it. I didn't expect Shikamaru or Choji to stick around to help…I honestly didn't. "

"They'll surprise you like that." Naruto smirked. "It's the civilians we'll have to worry about not the shinobi."

Ryo merely nodded into his chest and held tighter. Naruto tightened his grip as well. "Do you want to go home?"

"No, the kits are happy here."

"But you aren't."

"I will be, I'm learning, it just takes time. With Kiro and Kuroi nearer maybe it will be easier."

Naruto took his turn to nod and went back to star gazing. It appeared that Ryo was dedicated to this course of action and he would do anything to help her achieve what Houkou wanted. He'd start sending out to his contacts, maybe get back in touch with Gaara, they'd find a way to make this work.

The Demons and the Mortals were about to meet one another once again.

* * *

**Words and Meanings**

**Kitsune - **fox  
**Ookami - **wolf  
**Kami - **god  
**Ren'ai - **love, affections  
**Sonkei - **elder brother  
**Aneue - **elder sister  
**Otooji – **uncle  
**Tou-san - **slang version of Father  
**Kaa-san - **slang version of Mother  
**Kiro - **crossroads, one's way  
**Kuroi - **black  
**Kyuubi - **nine, also the name that the Demon Fox Spirit is known by  
**Yoko - **beside, width  
**Gobi - **five  
**Houkou -** direction, yell, howl, also the name that the Demon Wolf Spirit is known by  
**Butaigan – **elemental eye  
**Nani – **what  
**Hai – **yes  
**Bijuu – **demon spirit  
**Fuuton – **wind  
**Doton – **earth  
**Suiton – **water  
**Kouka – **yellow peril  
**Akatsuki - **dawn


	9. The Fox's Leaf

**The Strength of the Wolf**

**Chapter 8:**The Fox's Leaf

**Chapter Summary:**At one time the Land of Fire burned with the fire of foxes and the Land of Grass marveled at the howls of wolves. Will the Clans of Demons so easily forgive the transgressions of those who sealed away their lords and will the humans so easily overcome their old fears? Great things could come from the rejoining….or a great war.

**Author's Note: **OMG I am soooo sorry for this extended away time. We were moving (again for the like 4th time I'm getting sick of it really) and honestly I got really caught up in the current chapters of the Manga. O_O it FINALLY came out and I am so glad his reaction was somewhat normal. *sucker punch to the gut! Take that you bastard!* And yes this chapter is a Little shorter than normal. I'm a little angry at a couple of the past chapters…I've beat myself up and I'm going to go fix a few of them. That's that.. so I didn't want to go too far into this one without screwing something else up, but I didn't want to keep letting everyone waiting. So End of the story is "NO I'm not dead…just super busy and super occupied by the cannon of Manga! Added 5/11/09 - added the last bit that was supposed to be part of this chapter.

_The fox never found a better messenger than himself – Irish proverb_

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* * *

  
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It was late morning when Naruto finally blinked open his eyes and shielded his face from the bright sun beaming from a higher angle than just mere sunrise. He looked up at it, confused momentarily, and then smirked at his own stupidity. Ryoki's familiar warmth was a welcome feeling against his side…but the hangover was not quite as welcome.

Whatever has possessed him last night, he was paying for now. Ryoki probably would not feel a thing, she had always been slightly better at holding her alcohol than he had been. Still it was nice to wake up in a familiar outdoor setting with wolves around him….

Even though his gut was chewing at him trying to remind him that he had forgotten something important.

"Shit!"

Ryoki came up like something had bitten her, eyes darting around them warily looking for whatever had caused Naruto's outburst. Naruto quickly tried to gather enough wits to head back towards the village.

"Kami Kitsune! What kind of good morning was that?" Ryoki snarled, crouched down on her feet, knees hovering just above the ground. There was that old spark in her again and Naruto paused for a second to notice it and smile.

He found his sweater, used as an impromptu blanket in the cooler night air and slung it on his shoulders. "I kinda left the kits with Iruka-sensei" he admitted shamefully. Last night, he and Ryoki had totally forgotten the three. In their own grief and coping they had forgotten their kids….he was never going to live this down.

"Oh…." Ryo stood fluidly and brushed off her pants. "I suppose he thought you were coming back."

"Yeah I'm pretty sure he did." Naruto began walking, trying not to draw attention to the fact that Ryo was following him back into Konoha's borders. Kiro and Kuroi remained in their positions as well, perhaps trying to encourage the same thing.

The two traveled in silence as they reentered the village. The early morning calm had been replaced with a later rush of children to school, parents to jobs and just general business as usual. A few stopped to watch Naruto and Ryoki, knowing the pair to be more of early risers and by now the rumors had probably spread about what had transpired a few days ago.

He mentally was thankful that no one took the initiative to speak to them about the loss…or to gossip about it in their presence. Ryo's hearing was just as good, if not better, than his and Naruto was not yet sure what would set her off in this scenario. Still she seemed her old self as she strode through the village throngs as if she belonged there.

It was when they came to the door of their home that she hesitated. At first she played it off as having to put her hair back up into a ponytail, as was her normal routine, but she took deliberate time doing it and double checked it a few times. Naruto merely stood with his hand on the door, waiting for her to be ready.

But she just stood at the steps leading up to the door.

"Kitsune." She finally whispered after the longest time. "How do I…"

"You told me when we arrived here that I had become the rock for the kits." Naruto came halfway down the steps and glanced up at the clouds in the sky. "I think you were slightly off. I am the rock for the girls. Mino needs you to tell him and for you to tell him it's alright. I know it's not how you do things….but honestly he won't believe it unless you say it."

Ryoki seemed to set her shoulders a bit and she came up and past Naruto to the door. "I miss those days Kitsune, when it was just us and the wolves. "

"So do I….but then again I wouldn't trade anything for this either."

Ryoki snickered a bit and called him a homebody under her breath. She entered the home and stopped just inside the door and looked back at him. "I thought you said you left Iruka with the kits?"

Naruto followed her in. "I did." But instead of his former sensei sprawled on the couch he found Sakura with both of the girls curled up at her sides and Kota curled up on her lap and Kouka curled up around Rena's feet. "Well in my defense they were in their room when I left too."

He took a glance outside and assured himself that Mino was still in his tree and sure enough the boy was sitting there, eyes trained upon Ryo and himself. He looked exhausted, but all the same determined to prove Naruto wrong. Naruto nudged Ryo with his elbow and pointed out the doorway leading out into the gardens. Ryo merely nodded and went that way.

Naruto went back to the female pile up on his couch. It was a shock to see Sakura and not Iruka. The kunochi had barely made herself known after they had first run into each other in the training grounds. He assumed she was still ticked at him for his abandonment and left her to her business. She did not have to reaccept him. But her being here now, was she just afraid to approach him and Ryoki? Did she think he did not want to talk to her?

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto chuckled a little and smiled a bit when she started looked around and then fixated upon him. "Sorry about last night, you did not need to be uncomfortable, there are rooms here you know."

Sakura stretched carefully, aware she was surrounded. "I know that. They wanted to stay near Mino." She reached down and began to scratch Kota's ears.

"How'd you get roped into this anyway? When I left Iruka was here."

"I came over to check on you guys." Sakura blushed a little bit and turned her eyes to the girls. "Iruka was still here and said you probably were with Ryo-sama. I told him I would stay with them; he has a family and all."

Naruto saw the slightest twitch of her mouth around the word 'family'. He felt a little guilty knowing by now Sakura had felt the sting of being left alone and probably still held out hope about Sasuke and himself. So why bother getting involved with anyone.

"It was nice to pretend a bit." Sakura laughed. "I did not mean to intrude."

"No, I'd been wondering if you'd ever talk to me again honestly." Naruto sat near the couch and lifted Rena carefully from the couch, to give Sakura a little room to move.

"I had to understand." Sakura continued to pet Kota almost in a soothing motion to herself. "I thought you had abandoned me too, but I guess I needed that. I needed to stop relying on Kakashi, Sasuke, and you and be myself. I just really didn't understand why you left; and even when I heard why it still seemed empty, like we weren't enough to keep you here."

There was a long draw of silence between them. Naruto allowed Rena to readjust herself and smirked a bit when Kouka came to settle in his arms also.

"And I shouldn't even be dumping this on you right now." Sakura curled up her legs to where Rena once had been. "You have enough to deal with. I liked Raj; I wish I had gotten to know him better before…"

"Don't worry about it. We're okay." Naruto grinned up at her. "It will be okay in the end, and you and I needed to talk so it's all okay. And we owe you for keeping an eye on the kits."

Sakura laughed a little. "I don't understand why you call them kits."

Naruto laughed too. "Honestly neither did I at first and now it's just a reflex. I'll take you to meet Kiro and Kuroi, they are nearby. And according to custom, I guess, they call the offspring after the sire, which would be me."

"So because of the fox…"

"Exactly." Naruto nodded. "You wouldn't believe the custom and tradition I had to beat into my head all these years."

"I'm surprised you picked it up."

"Me too. Even more so that I can remember it all."

"I'm sorry Naruto. For all those times, we should have noticed something…"

"Don't be." Naruto cut her off. He thought of the kits and he thought of Raj and Ryo and he smiled a little to himself. "What happened it happened for a reason. Ryo said that if it hadn't she and the kits wouldn't be here and I don't know what I'd do without them. So all that time before was worth it in the end."

"Tou-san?" Miska blinked her eyes and sat up a little. "Are you okay?"

"Hai, Miska-chan." Naruto laughed at her timing. "Did you not offer Sakura-chan a room?"

Miska looked up to Sakura, who grinned and shook her head at the girl and pointed down to Rena. "Your father just doesn't understand what it's like to have a sleepover, hai Miska?"

"Yeah! We had a sleepover." Miska defended herself and came all the way up.

"Ah, I see." Naruto nodded and smiled at Rena, staring up at him from her new perch in his lap. "Well ladies what do you say to breakfast?"

"I'm starving." Miska admitted, which Naruto had assumed they would be. They hadn't eaten much in the past few hours.

"You're welcome to join us Sakura-san." Naruto placed Rena back on the couch and stood to move towards the kitchen.

As he stood he glanced out the door and saw Mino, finally down from his perch, clutching to Ryo's shirt as she knelt to be at his level. Naruto knew it was hard for the both of them so he'd leave them and they'd wander in when they wanted to.

The girls went to their rooms, Naruto guessed to change into clothing more suited for daytime, or for whatever they had in their mind, and Sakura quietly followed him into the kitchen.

"Why was Mino in the tree outside all this time?" She asked quietly, taking furtive glances out the door to mother and son.

"Raj always slept in the tree. We couldn't domesticate him." Naruto shrugged. "I think Mino was hoping Raj would come back and tell him to get out of his 'bed'."

"He slept in a tree?"

"Hai did so in Grass too. If we were on a job he'd sleep in the windowsills of wherever we holed up."

Miska and Rena returned, the small congregation of pets also following them dutifully. They sat at the table quietly, also watching what was happening outside.

"Is Kaa-san okay?" Miska asked up at Naruto and Naruto sighed. Miska was becoming a worrier due to all of this, or so it seemed.

"She will be Miska-chan. Just let her be okay?"

"Kota says Kiro and Kuroi are still here." Miska looked up at him hopefully, her own mismatched eyes gleaming in the sunlight. "Can…can we go see them?"

"Of course. We'll see if your brother wants to come to okay?" Naruto winked at Sakura. "And Sakura-chan. We need to get people used to them don't we?"

"Are they going to stay this time?" Rena chirped happily, picking up both Kouka and Riri in her grasp and holding them up. "Kouka said he could come back too."

"Hai, hai. Kouka can stay if he's not too jealous of Riri."

"_**I like the wolf pup." **_Kouka chirped just as happily. "_**She has been protecting Rena-chan." **_

Rena giggled and let the animals down, Riri playfully nipped at Kouka's oversized ears and the little fox hopped around baiting the wolf puppy. Miska smiled a little at the antics of the other animals and hugged Kota closer to her.

"You can understand them right?" Sakura asked as she sat down at the table with the girls. "They kept translating for Kota for me."

"Hai, but I didn't learn any of it until after…" he paused a moment looking down at the non-existent seal that used to be on his stomach. "…after I assimilated the Kyuubi."

They all grew silent as Ryoki came back in with Mino held tightly in her arms. The little boy, though he had dozed some in the tree, had gone a few days without sleep and now that the stress of not knowing had been replaced with grief he'd given in to sleep and allowed his mother to carry him indoors.

"Thank you Sakura-sama" Ryoki whispered as she sat down, keeping Mino cradled, his head in the crook of her neck. "You two were good for her right?"

"I don't mind, Ryoki. " Sakura bowed her head.

"You might want to reconsider saying that." Ryo smiled darkly at her. "You might end up as a sitter if we both need to leave the village."

"I wouldn't mind that either." Sakura smiled over at Miska and Rena. "We had fun didn't we?"

"Hai." Both girls nodded.

"Well then, I guess you won't mind if I ask you to stay a few more hours then?" Naruto looked out the window towards the tower. "I should probably start taking care of some business."

Sakura blinked then nodded. "Sure."

"Kitsune?"

"You heard Kiro, Ookami." Naruto frowned back. "We'll have to start brokering some truces."

* * *

Naruto stood unwavering in front of Tsunade's desk. The older woman's caramel eyes peered over her clasped hands and the two had been staring at one another for a good five minutes after Naruto had finally come out with what he wanted.

"So what you are proposing is…" Tsunade finally straightened back up in her chair and laid her hands on the surface of her desk.

"An alliance with the Wolf and Fox Clans." Naruto repeated himself.

"With demons?"

"Hai. Kiro and Kuroi are staying just beyond Konoha's gates with a few of their pack. Once Mota and Sota return and that is settled I can discuss with them the same thing." Naruto explained quietly. "Pein was the figure head, he was not the instigator. He was being used by who he called Uchiha Madara."

"Who should be dead by all rights?" Tsunade frowned. "How accurate could his information be?"

"I know for certain Sasuke was in Akatsuki. He would not have joined based on Pein's rationale or beliefs. Sasuke could only be lured in by one of two things, power or revenge, and he clearly said he knew what Konoha did to his family. That he wanted revenge."

"So you believe he was drawn in by Uchiha Madara." Tsunade sighed and looked over to Jiraiya propped up by the windows. "What do you think of this?"

"I believe Nagato was telling the truth. Whether or not this man is the real Uchiha Madara or a rogue Uchiha retaking the name, is yet to be seen. But Naruto is right; Sasuke still presents a threat to Konoha in his current state."

"And you believe that an alliance with demons is the best course of action?"

"I believe in the old ways. Before we got to this stage there was a time when all the clans and entities understood one another. If we can return to that place perhaps a war can be averted."

"When a war has already started." Tsunade snorted. "Rock has been systematically sending more and more into our territories and the territory of Grass."

"We knew about Grass." Naruto agreed. "Rock has always tested that border. We still have contacts in Grass, if offered Grass would be receptive to aid."

"That was the nature of the Third Shinobi War, you understand that don't you?" Jiraiya frowned.

"Hai, Grass is still too small to form its own defense, however. And we would not spare any shinobi towards this goal."

"Then what aid are you talking about?" Jiraiya pushed himself off from his perch and crossed his arms in front of him. "To offer aid then to never send it…."

"He's talking about the wolves." Tsunade began to smirk. "You said only a small number remained here. The rest returned to Grass."

"Hai. Kiro and Kuroi could be seen as representatives of their 'clan' and Ryoki could be the mediator to the Lords and Daimyo of Grass. United the wolves and mortals could defend themselves against Rock."

"Then the balance of power shifts to Grass."

"No. That is the tradition that needs to return. Fire is the Land of Fox." Naruto took a blank paper and began to draw on its surface a rough estimation of the countries. "Each land at one point was the territory of a Demon Clan. Wind is the Land of Shukaku. Wave is the Land of Turtle."

"And if you can in some way broker a truce between the native Demon Clan with the Humans of the nation, each would be in equal standings of power." Tsunade smiled a bit at the crude drawing.

"Not only that, but there are deep lines of tradition in the Demon Clans. They would not trespass or deviate from those traditions unless forced to by some threat." Naruto looked over at Jiraiya then back to the Hokage. "Should Sasuke and this unknown Uchiha decide to attack anywhere they would be met with the Demons in which they stole from. They would have no holdings."

"Forcing them out into the open."

"Hai."

They were silent again, the elders looking between each other and internally arranging any protest to this planned action. Still nothing was said and Naruto was certain they would see the potential in this action. Naruto could not see it before but now he could see the potential for something larger here. Rajan and Ryoki learned, he learned, and the kits had learned. Others could learn to trust the great demons as they once did. This was the course that could lead to peace again.

"I believe that this is a wise course of action." Tsunade finally nodded and closed her eyes. "But it is an action that only a Hokage could take."

"That is why I brought it before you Hokage-sama." Naruto bowed his head in reverence. He'd already spoken briefly to Ryoki and she had been in support of this idea. He secretly knew she wanted to travel like they once did but one of them would have to stay behind for the kits. Ryoki was more versed in the demon lore and traditions as well as a good idea of the location of the former territories.

"I do not believe it is an action I could take forward. Not only because such truces would take months if not years to form but my limited understanding of these traditions as you call them would hinder my ability to move forward." Tsunade locked eyes with him again. "Is Ryoki prepared for something like this?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama. She is dedicated to the work her father set before her." Naruto saw the slightest eye twitch as he referred to Houkou as the woman's father. "She and the wolves that stayed behind would be back every few months if permitted."

"And you and the kids?"

"We would stay in Konoha. The kits are settled here, this is the best place for them."

"And your role in all of this?" Jiraiya smirked. "Mr. Mom?"

"I will most likely have to take one mission alone. I would request to be the one sent to the Kazekage." Naruto straightened thinking of Gaara. He had heard the rumors of the attack of Akatsuki and how Konoha had come to his aid.

"The Kazekage would be pleased to know of your return. Temari is currently in Suna now; we could send you with Shikamaru to have an audience with them." Tsunade reached for a piece of paper. "Sand would be the most receptive to such an idea. However, that still leaves us with the issue of who has the authority to do such things. I am too old for something this size."

Naruto cocked his head to the side hearing the woman speak of herself as old. He knew how she still looked like the thirty year old beauty, but still it was hard to think of her as old. But even harder to think about was her implication.

"You had a dream once." Tsunade turned away from him, looking out the window. "But I think you abandoned it like you did this village once."

Naruto sighed and hung his head. She was implying that since this was his grand plan, he should be the one at the helm. And she was right; he had abandoned that dream a long time ago. The only dream he still had, he had achieved. He had a family and that was his world now. And yet….

"To be Hokage." Naruto sighed finally. "You're right I left that behind the moment I took to the wild. But Kiro-sama told me once that Ryoki and I would become leaders no matter what our will was."

"So Namikaze-sama," Tsunade turned back to face him, an odd smirk on her face as she addressed him by his Clan name. "If I were to name you my successor would you refuse it?"

"I don't suppose I would." Naruto shook his head but lowered his gaze from the woman. "I would think, however, that decision is largely not yours to make."

"It is solely my decision to make. They just have to live with it. But to ease their fears perhaps we shall take our time with this transition as you have no idea what this job entails really."

"True." Naruto pointed to her desk. "All I know is there is always a large stack of paper at your desk and little else."

"Oh you will learn about that in no time. It's the only thing constant in this job." Tsunade huffed. "We won't announce it quite yet; we will see what the Kazekage's reception is and go from there."

"Then it's settled then." Jiraiya huffed and loosed his arms. "You know she's been looking for a way out of this right?" he speared Naruto.

"Probably has since she got in here." Naruto smirked. "At any rate this works out for most of us. Ryoki needs time away and this gives her a job. One of us has to stay behind for the kits in a sense, at least until they are all Genin, so this seems as good of an excuse as any."

"Go on and make your plans, Hokage-sama." Tsunade pushed them both out of the door mentally. "I will start making my own preparations and letting the right people know. Give me a few months, Naruto, this might be a hard sell."

"Always would have been!" Naruto laughed and took to the rooftops outside. He and Ryo were going to have to start planning the right courses of action to approach clans and demons alike.

What in the world had he gotten himself into?

* * *

"_**It seems only fair that we allow you to live on our lands, Kiro-sama." **_Sota's black tails twitched slowly addressing Kiro and Kuroi and the small gathering of wolves that had stayed with their pack leaders. "_**After all you did allow Kyuubi-sama to stay with you and your kin for all those years before." **_

" _**We will respect your territories and den sites as is protocol." **_Kiro snuffed hard. "_**My mate and I have passed that right onto our family back in Grass, we no longer will have pups to defend or provide for." **_

"Well that part is settled." Naruto scratched at his head and watched the formality of the Fox and Wolf clans play out before him. He could only hope that such transactions with other Demon Clans would be so smooth. "There is more to discuss I'm afraid."

The Red and Black Foxes turned to him fully now and lay down in the soft grasses surrounding Konoha.

"Would the Fox Clan of Fire be willing to open up talks with the heads of the Human Fire Clans?" Naruto stumbled for the right wording to explain what it was he wished could happen.

"_**You are asking us to reveal ourselves to the mortal clans of Fire?" **_Sota asked, cocking his head to the side before sharing a gaze with Mota.

"I am asking you to consider the old traditions." Naruto sighed. "I realize there have been many generations of the mortal clans killing your kits and dwindling of your territory."

"_**Indeed the Mortal Clans have feared us for far longer than they ever trusted us. What you are asking of us is somewhat impossible." **_Mota growled. "_**The Mortal Clans would not accept us back into their folds, not after what your predecessor did." **_

"What if I could assure your safety in the territory of the Hidden Leaf?" Naruto sat down, ready to begin the long process of figuring out what the demons would want in exchange for the truce.

"_**Though we trust in you Kyuubi-sama, you cannot be every place at once." **_

"I have been offered a place as the head of the Hidden Leaf." Naruto began to pluck at blades of grass, not sure if he even wanted such a position yet or not. As a kid he had wanted nothing else, but as an adult he knew what such a position would carry with it. "As such I could offer you sanctuary in Konoha's territory."

"_**Which is much too small for our clan." **_Sota chirped.

"I understand that, it would be a start though. If Konoha brokers peace with your Clan, other such Daimyo's and Lords might consider the same in the sake of following suit."

The two colored foxes shared a look between them chirping uncertainly between themselves. Though Kota was a mild mannered sort of demon, Sota and Mota were older than they and had seen the effects the Kyuubi attack had. They had seen generations of demon hunters come into their lands and destroy dens and kits alike.

"_**Brother, you have been guarding Kyuubi-sama's kits for some days now. Have you done so with your tails out or hidden?" **_

"_**I have been seen in both respects, Brother." **_Kota replied stepping up beside Naruto now. "_**More out than hidden. Kouka has made no effort to hide his tails and as long as he is with Rena-sama he has seen no ill will towards him from the Mortals." **_

"_**And you Kota-san?" **_Mota queried.

"_**I have found none who would approach me in a threatening manner. I believe it is due to Naruto-sama's status in the village. Which should become greater once he is named Head of the Village." **_

Again the colored foxes seemed to lock eyes and consider the information given to them. Naruto knew this was going to be a hard thing to convince the foxes of, as it would be even to the wolves. Kiro himself had said his kin, though of like mind of Houkou and himself, would have a hard time overcoming long trained traditions of avoidance and distant respect of the human clans that would otherwise hunt them and kill them.

"_**We must discuss this with our kin, Kyuubi-sama." **_Sota finally conceded. "_**Indeed you have taken up the cause of the Wolf Lord, but we are still not sure of its success."**_

"Of course, we would not ask you to make such a decision without first consulting your Clan." Ryo bowed her head to the foxes, now standing to leave back to their safe dens in the southern most Fire. "Be warned we will be traveling to the Land of Wind and the Raccoon Dogs in a few weeks."

"_**Save journey to you then. The Raccoon Dogs followed their head into madness many generations ago. Shukaku became lost in the ages after the 10-Tailed." **_Sota growled lowly.

"_**Lost to his jealousy of not being chosen to hold part of the Rin'negan." **_Mota sighed as she stretched. "_**Be careful in your approach, Kyuubi-sama." **_

"Thank you both for coming, and quick journey to your home." Naruto stood as well as the foxes made their final retreat. He watched the two disappear to the winds and mentally wondered if each truce was going to be this hard. What was he sending Ryoki to do exactly? "What if this doesn't work Ren'ai?"

"It will work, we will make it work." Ryo sighed and hugged his arm tightly. "This is the right direction to take."

"I wish I was so sure."

"_**Always this doubt, Kitsune." **_Kiro snarled in his face. "_**You have not yet led this pack wrong, you should trust in yourself and in your mate. This is the course the 10-Tailed should have taken but failed to see in his madness."**_

"Kiro's right. It will take some adjustment, some of these clans will not be receptive nor will some of the villages. There will be fighting before the peace takes in as those who refuse to settle test the power of those who have decided to lay down those differences." Ryo released his arm and looked out through the tree lines.

"And what about the kits? About us?"

"They seemed to adapt well when we began taking jobs after they were a certain age." Ryo smirked at him. "And they now have something in which to occupy them."

"But there were always two out on missions. Not just you alone."

"And you aren't worried about them you are just worried." Ryo snorted but then came up to hug him around the waist. "I'm not alone, Kiro and Kuroi and the pack will be with me."

"I still get to worry."

"And I will get to worry about you too. You'll be going to Wind alone, before any of this even starts and you are dismal when it comes to tradition and formality." Ryo joked playfully.

"Kiro will be with me." Naruto playfully teased back.

The two of them stood out in the grass in the awkward embrace. Naruto had to admit he had been hoping the Hokage did not like his idea and they would have to think of something else but Kiro was right, this was the decision to make

"I will admit, it will be odd." Ryo finally whispered. "There have only been a few weeks between us before. Not several months."

"Yeah…and without Raj…"

"We will just have to be very persuasive." Ryo smirked and let him go, dancing back on her heels and grabbing onto Kuroi's scruff. "And get this done quickly so I can come home and claim to all the others in the pack that I am the Alpha Female at last."

"See I knew it!" Naruto chased after her as she and Kuroi dodged him easily. "You like being in the alpha role!"

"And you like me in that role." She stuck out her tongue and allowed Naruto to catch her for a moment. "It makes it easier on you."

"Ren'ai." Naruto cuddled into her neck and drew in her sent. "I like you in any role you want to take on. And for the record, this was your idea first."

"Anything to shove the responsibility off on me." She purred back. "Fine then, Hokage-sama." Ryo teased and began to lead him back towards the village by the strings on his sweater. "Before we go we're going to make you look more the part of a respectful Alpha. "

"I seem to remember you picking these out a few years ago. I'm dense remember."

"Hai, but now you have a new role to take up." Ryo winked. "And we've got to do something about all that money you inherited. "

* * *

Naruto stood at the gates of Konoha awaiting his 'team' to show up to 'escort' him to Wind. Tsunade had made it an official mission. Though only those who needed to know about it heard what decision had been made and what it was Naruto and his family was setting out to achieve.

The thought casually crossed his mind that he had taken too much and this was a huge undertaking. Who was to say that he could bring about peace in a good handful of countries, some of which he'd never been in. He did not even know what it meant to lead a shinobi village…though he was sure that Tsunade would make him well versed in that area before she ever handed over the reins.

"You think too much you know that right?" Ryo snuffed beside him as she leaned against one of the gates large wooden supports.

"It's kinda hard not to in this situation." Naruto snarled back a little. "This is not like our information gathering."

"True, but it is something we are uniquely qualified for." Ryo shrugged back, taking out a kunai and twirling it on her pinky like he normally would be doing at the onset of a mission they would take. "Just because we have kits now doesn't change the fact of what we trained to do. This is our purpose now."

"I would think insuring their safety would be our purpose now…"

"We are. If we can settle all of this before another huge shinobi war breaks out they will be safer for it." Ryo glanced down at Rena for a second then back up. "Sure they will be trained to fend for themselves but hopefully they never use that training."

Naruto grunted and went about staring back at the road ahead. He had to admit he was a little eager to get going. It had been far too long since he had taken to the forest and just ran among the wilderness. The way the grasses and leaves smelled after a long rain, the way the dappled light lit up specific places on the forest's floors, the way the roots and debris felt under foot; he missed feeling free.

"_Course I better get my taste in now…if I become Hokage I can kiss all that goodbye." _Naruto frowned.

"Anyway I would think you'd want sometime away before you're locked up forever." Ryo threw the kunai at him, slow enough that he could easily catch it and smirked as he glared back at her. "Yes, I was warned that you would be in high demand once all this happened."

"Jealous?"

"No. They clearly don't know us well enough yet to know we aren't the type to follow the rules." Ryo winked in her way and pointed out ahead of her. Naruto turned and finally caught sight of Shikamaru strolling up the wide main street.

It still shocked Naruto that Shikamaru was a Jonin of the village. He had been just as bad as Naruto in the Academy days, and slept a lot more than he did. Something had happened in all those missing years and Naruto had yet to find the gall to ask what it was.

"Yo!" Naruto waved to him as the Jonin came to stop ahead of them, flicking out a cigarette and lighting it. "Bout time."

"What?" Shikamaru frowned. "Our other teammate is going to be even later than me, so why rush it."

Naruto slapped his forehead with his palm, and winced a little still forgetting the metal headband recently returned there. "Hatake."

"Hai, she figured it'd be better if it were those who've already seen those large dogs of yours."

"I dare you to call them dogs to their face little deer." Ryo growled and pushed herself from her position. She really was just teasing Shikamaru, but to anyone not used to Ryo yet would take the growl as a threat. Naruto really was relieved to hear it more and more now. It meant she had stopped caring what people thought about her odd behavior.

"Hello to you too Ryo-sama."

Ryo raised an eyebrow and then laughed. "You're really no fun Nara. Good luck Kitsune. You know how to call for us hai?"

"Hai, Roki." Naruto reached out and snagged her by the arm and kissed her on the cheek. He then bent down and did the same to Rena. "Remember Rena-chan, you have to keep the twins in line right?"

"Hai Tou-san." There was a long pause between them as Rena glanced over at Shikamaru with a bit of wariness and then she leaned closer, put her hands up around her mouth and whispered in his ear. "Does this mean we'll start getting presents again?"

Naruto laughed and patted her on the head. "Yes Rena, more than likely. Otherwise you three would string me up in my sleep."

"Yep!" Rena happily agreed and went off to follow her mother into the streets.

"And I thought our family make-up was weird." Shikamaru took a drag off of his cigarette and billowed out the smoke, absently fumbling with the silver lighter he had used to light the thing just moments ago.

Naruto laughed as well and began walking out the gates. Shikamaru blinked but began matching his pace. "Um, Naruto…."

"Hey he's supposed to be an elite Jonin. Let him catch up if he wants to be late." Naruto smirked to himself as they walked into the forests surrounding the village again. They were supposed to pick Kiro up about a mile outside of the gates, and Kakashi had that time to catch up. In all honestly he was sure that Hatake was somewhere nearby already.

As a kid he and the others would stand around and wait for the Jonin impatiently. When he would finally show his face…not figuratively… Naruto and Sakura would chew him out as he gave some lame excuse. However, the Jonin seemed rather dedicated on all of their missions and always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. The two did not match up. So that had to mean that his being late every day was some sort of test. Kakashi was more than likely nearby watching the three Genin and had some set time limit that he allowed them to get what it was he was doing, and then would finally give up and start them on their task.

Really he was probably hoping that the three would take their own initiative. Which they never had….

So Naruto strolled leisurely through the dappled daylight and enjoyed the sounds of nature as he went. He more than bet on Kakashi showing up before they even reached the designated point that Kiro was waiting for them at.

Sure enough the gray haired Jonin entered into their midst without much fanfare or noise and reading one of his treasured books. Shikamaru frowned back at him then to Naruto before sighing heavily and shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I liked you better when you weren't so perceptive."

* * *

Ryoki followed Rena through the back streets of Konoha as the little girl showed her to her favorite place. Surprisingly it was not the park or some store…it was the Hokage Tower. Perhaps the genetics from her father had her predisposed to like this place.

But it became much clearer when they popped into one of the side rooms and found Shioni playing alone in the room.

Ryoki smiled a bit as Rena rushed over to the chocolate haired little girl and began talking excitedly about the wolves and where her father had gone. Shioni merely smiled quietly, intent on listening to every word. Even though Ryo had seen the girl more often lately the little girl barely uttered a word around anyone except Rena. She always wondered about the odd personality quirk but knew it was not her place to ask.

Still it bothered her and as she strode into the room to hear better she could see the girl's eyes turn to her momentarily before returning to Rena and the animals.

To Ryoki it was clear the girl didn't trust herself and that was an awful trait to promote in a pup. Still she wasn't sure if that line of thinking was correct in her given she had been raised by wolves instead of humans. But in a village full of shinobi, that would be an undesirable trait wouldn't it? And it wasn't like the girl's parents were that way. Iruka was a kind man, not to intimidating and Shizune was a confident woman. Iroh, the girl's brother, did not seem to predispose to doubt either. He was just a goof up from time to time from Mino's tales.

"So Rena-chan…what do you say we introduce Shioni to our family, hai?"

Rena's head whipped around and two identical pupil-less eyes stared up at her. Shioni also looked up with the same wide eyes of only a different shade and she seemed to go completely still.

"Kaa-san are you sure?"

"Hai, you've told her about Kuroi and the others haven't you?" Ryo sat down with the girls on the floor, trying her hardest not to look like an imposing figure. She'd have to start small with Shioni. "Anyway, what's more fun? Playing inside on a day like today or playing with a bunch of wolves?"

Rena instantly perked up and nodded enthusiastically over to Shioni. Shioni looked behind her at a panel in the wall behind her then back to Ryo herself.

"I'd have to ask Kaa-san." She finally whispered out, playing with her long hair hanging over her shoulders. "And she and Hokage-sama…"

Ryo reached over and grabbed a piece of paper from a nearby table. She took one of the small coloring sticks the girl had with her and began to write as neatly as she could on it. "How about this, we'll leave her a note. She lets you stay with us doesn't she?"

"Hai, but…"

"It will be fine, Shioni-chan." Ryo stood again and held her hand out to the little girl. "Come on then, I promise it will be fun."

"Come on Shioni! You think Kouka and Riri are fun! Wait till Kuroi-sama lets you ride on her tails!" Rena started heading for the door she had just moments ago entered. Ryo waited to see how this played out. She could see the longing in the little girl's eyes to do as her friend wanted. Yet there was a struggle in actually leaving without first telling her mother.

Finally the struggle seemed to come to a head and the girl slowly stood and turned behind her. She stood that way for a moment then reached her hand out towards Ryo's and grasped it lightly. Ryo grasped it tightly and began to head out the door. She felt horrible for sticking her nose in where it did not belong but Rena was always talking about her friend and for Ryo that was any incentive of any.

In some odd way the girl reminded her of when they first found Naruto at the river between Fire and Rice. He had been defensive and loud at first but it was a cover for his insecurity. He wasn't sure of himself and neither was Shioni. So she led the girl out of the tower, waving to the guards around their posts and finally out into the streets. As she went she withdrew her hand and gave a little shove to the girl so she was walking with Rena, Kouka, and Riri.

Again she saw it. The girl looked behind her for a moment to reassure herself that Ryo was still there.

"_Kuroi will know what to do with the pup. It can't be healthy to always be that worried…then again Naruto never seems to wane from it." _

They exited the main gates, the ones they had left a few days ago to let Naruto go off to Suna. Part of her was a little jealous. Of the many places she and her brother had been Sand was one of the few they had not seen. It was mainly because the deserts were not conductive to their type of reconnaissance but also because Wind had its hand in many baskets.

A friend to many but an enemy to none…as long as they played their cards right.

They never really had much business there and much like the Fox Clan knew the wolves also understood that the Raccoon Dogs were more aggressive and feral than the rest of them.

When Rena finally led them to where the new den was, Ryoki could not help but smile and take in the scent of the wolves that had remained behind, prominently Kuroi the old alpha female. Before Kiro had taken the role of Alpha Male Kuroi had been the beta wolf, the caregiver. That was what Ryo hoped she would be seen as again, bringing little Shioni out to the wolves in an attempt to bring the little girl out of her shell.

Sadly she knew the first reaction would be a mirror of Naruto's.

As Kuroi stretched in the afternoon sun and crouched down to allow Rena to hug her muzzle and to sniff at little Riri, Shioni froze to her spot eyes wide and fearful at the actual size of the wolf. Kuroi realized that there were others with Rena and her pets and laid down on her stomach and cocked her head to the side to watch the new child.

"Ryo, you've had another pup?" Kuroi joked lightly while eyeing the child.

"No, I'm just sticking my noise in again. This is Rena's Packmate."

Rena was watching with Kuroi, the same expression of confusion on her face. Rena was accustomed to animals larger than her. This was normal for her and not for Shioni and she did not understand why everyone thought it so odd.

" Ah so you've adopted someone's pup. Very curious of you, normally you shove it off on Naruto." Kuroi chuckled a little and laid down her massive head on the soft grass before her. "Perhaps you are a sucker for the little hurt ones?"

"Very funny" Ryo snorted and walked past Shioni and laid next to Kuroi herself, snuggling her back into the black wolf's familiar fur.

Kouka went about crawling up on the old wolf's back and burrowing into her neck fur and chirping loudly in content while Riri rushed off to join some of the younger wolves skittering around the camp. Rena for her credit stayed to keep an eye on Shioni.

"So little pup do you have a name?" Kuroi sniffed Shioni carefully, keeping her nose a little away from the girl rooted to the ground in front of her.

"Shi- Shi- Shioni."

"Shioni. Well come closer silly pup, I am an old wolf now; it's hard to see sometimes." Kuroi joked with the little girl. Her tactic seemed to work though as Shioni took one tentative step towards them.

"Rena-chan…" Shioni, with a speed Ryo had not seen her use before, rushed over and grabbed onto Rena's arm and held tight. "You didn't say they were so big!"

"Sure I did!" Rena smiled happily and pointed towards Kuroi's tails. "How else were we going to play **on** her?"

"I dunno…"

Kuroi began to laugh. "Oh is that why you pestered your mother?" She reached out with one of her three tails and picked up Rena, effectively losing her from Shioni's grip. "You wanted to ride on me like a pack animal?" Rena merely yelped with joy and slid down the large tail to Kuroi's back. She held tightly to the dark black fur as Kuroi stood and shook off. As she did Shioni backed away but froze as Kuroi's tail wrapped around her waist and slowly lifted her up to her head. "Do not be frightened little pup. I will go slow."

"Awwww Kuroi!" Rena complained.

Ryo laughed as the wolf went off into the forests, going 'slow' as she claimed it. A few of the lesser tails came around, letting Riri chase them and then tackle them. A cousin-kind was rare to the wolves so they were enjoying the puppy just as much as the puppy was enjoying them. She had to remember to get to know the Inuzuka Clan, they sounded like her kind of people.

She had to admit that this scenery and company made her feel more at home. She still felt slightly adrift but it was slowly fading away as she grew more comfortable with her territory.

Her new purpose would also have her back at the game she had learned to do to survive.

Naruto may have drawn the short straw to venture towards the raccoon dogs but she would have the longer mission of seeking out all the others. He only was ideal because he happened to know the Kazekage of Sand, a once-former Jinchuuriki. As worried as he was about the future roles they were usurping, she was more and more confident of them.

Ryo knew one of Naruto's gifts better than anyone else in the world. He had a way of charming people even if he was not aware of it. When he first joined them he hung back and observed her and Raj's way of doing things but slowly, ever so slowly, he had crept up to the forefront. He began making his own contacts and allies among the variety of people they tracked, worked for, and defended.

Even people he had not seen for very long stretches of time seemed to welcome him back so quickly that it was uncommon.

So she knew he was an alpha personality even before he himself did.

Why else had she picked him?

"_Well there is that shit-eating grin of his….the way he looks without…." _Her mind began to tick off happily in her head.

"_The way he and Raj…"_

And then she flinched inwardly. That wound was still way too fresh for her liking. It more than likely would never be less than a constant dull ache in her chest. Ryo sighed heavily and glanced back towards the village; her mind now set on her own twins and prayed to any and all gods that they would never have to face this same pain. It was like losing a limb. Raj and she had always been inseparable…except for this one time.

To not hear him snoring constantly out on his tree, to not enjoy the simple pleasure of goofing off with the biggest goof of all of them, it just hurt like hell.

It also made her want to cling tighter to Naruto, though she refused to act upon that particular craving. They knew what dangers were involved…delving into this territory and this path. She had been the one unprepared when one of those dangers reared its ugly head.

A small glint off behind a tree caught her attention and she was glad for the distraction. Sniffing the air it was clear it was a ninja from the village but why on earth were they out skirting this close to where the wolves were bedding down?

She stood and stretched lazily, scratching at her neck and popping her shoulders, acting for all parts unconcerned. As she checked on the pups and Kuroi she again looked the way of the glint and could see just the barest showing of knuckles, gripping into tree bark. What kind of ninja did that?

And what kind of ninja was she to just let it go unchecked?

Ryo leapt up to the trees and went out wide towards the village and back around behind the interloper. As she neared the glint in the forest she slowed and slunk around the tree branches till she was finally above her observer. Surprisingly enough it was a shark-eye…the timid little shark-eye that Naruto and Rajan had sent to watch the girls the day of the Akatsuki attack.

"You know…" she sighed and sat down above the girl, who 'meeped' and ducked her head into her hooded sweater. "It is really hard to sneak up on us."

For a second Ryo began to wonder if the woman was even going to admit to being caught. She stood solid in her place, her knuckles white as she latched onto the tree bark like a life line. Her scent finally caught Ryo's nose and she perked a bit remembering the conversation she'd had with Naruto that same morning; about how Raj smelled of someone sweet, like flowers.

"I…I apologize Namikaze-sama."

Ryo snorted a bit and leapt down to stand next to the woman, Hinata she believed her name was. "Hyuuga-sama I presume?" She bantered back.

"Hai, um, I wasn't meaning to sneak up on you, really." The dark haired girl fumbled through the words, stuttering helplessly and keeping her pure white eyes turned towards the ground beneath them. Ryo sighed and shook her head, yet another with that same timid streak in them. What in all creation caused someone to act like that? It could not be healthy and undesirable in mates.

"I suppose not…still you were spying on us and I have to wonder why." Ryo winked at her a bit and began to stroll back to her sunning place, hoping Hinata would join her. "I do hope my daughter's eyes still aren't in your father's sights."

"Oh no! No! It's nothing like that Ryoki-sama; nothing like that at all, it's just that…I…." Again she ducked her gaze and began to fiddle with her fingers in front of her. "I was hoping…"

Ryo turned on her heel and watched the shark-eye struggle. She wanted to say something but kept second guessing herself. Which either meant it was something very stupid or something very important. Ryo had seen some of the Hyuuga around the village and they did not seem stupid by any means and they always considered how they addressed others…so it had to be something important.

"I was hoping to talk to you…." Hinata finally stuttered out, the blush on her cheeks deepening and spreading like a wild fire.

"Oh? What about?" Ryo cocked her head to the side and watched this odd display.

This time Hinata's face buried into her shoulder as she looked behind her for some unseen enemy that she had imagined. A great sadness passed through her fair features before the white eyes gazed up to lock eyes with Ryo's gaze.

"It's….about your brother."

Oh that was a large nail to strike and Ryo knew she had flinched outwardly when she saw the girl physically shrink a bit.

"I…I don't mean to cause you any more grief, really, I just…." Hinata was fighting her own tears as she stumbled through more words that seemed almost hollow even to her. "I don't even know where to begin."

"The beginning's good." Ryo found the guts to say and was rewarded with an awe-struck blink before the woman hit the ground in a very graceful slump. She quickly folded her legs beneath her and grasped at her thighs, clutching tan cloth and silently letting tears streak down her face.

This whole scene seemed way too familiar to Ryo as she crept forward to kneel next to the Hyuuga.

"We met by accident really. I was…I was following Naruto-sama. I'm sorry; I just had to see if everyone was right and that he was back. Rajan caught me and began to talk to me. He began flirting with me like I heard he did with others but then he began to pop up at different places and we would talk or just sit with one another. "She was rushing through the words but Ryo could understand them. So she WAS the one that Raj had been running around with all those weeks before. It wasn't the weapons master that trained with Lee and Gai; it was this timid little creature. How very odd for Rajan to pick up on a girl like this. He tended to chase the ones with more fight in them.

"Rajan-sama was so kind to me." Hinata sniffed and hid her eyes with her bangs. "He did not care about the stuttering or the blushing or any of that. He reminded me so much of….of…"

"Of Naruto." Ryo filled in for her. She had to admit Raj and Naruto were a lot like brothers save for their hair color and height differences. They were brothers in spirit for a long time and she could see how Hinata could compare the two.

"Hai, of Naruto." She sounded ashamed as she said those words and began to clench her fists tighter around the fabric of her pants. "We began seeing a lot more of each other. I did not want anyone to know, if anyone in my family found out what I was doing… So he promised to keep it secret for me. He said you and Naruto were catching on to his little games but not to worry you two would keep it a secret too."

Ryo's mind grasped on quick. Naruto and she had not thought of the possibility that Raj was serious about any one girl. But apparently he had been while in Konoha and it had been Hinata. So while the family closed in on itself to grieve his loss they hadn't thought there would be someone else equally devastated by his death.

"It happened so fast…" Hinata sniffed and began to hug herself around her stomach. "We were only together for a couple of months or so…"

Her wording caught Ryo off guard and she straightened to take in the girl's appearance again. She was completely wrapped up in herself. Her arms tightly wrapped around her midsection. She was distraught telling her about the secret courtship with her brother.

"_Oh Kami, Raj you didn't!" _

"Ryoki-sama, I…."

"Hinata-san." Ryo whispered and ducked lowly to catch the white-pupil-less eyes with her own mismatched pair. "My brother was a very eccentric type. He was very quick to decide something and bets are he decided pretty quickly that he and you were good mates. We were raised to think very differently about these kinds of matters…"

At the word she used Hinata's head shot up and her cheeks again turned a dark blushing crimson. Ryo fought the urge to laugh at her embarrassment, knowing in any other world it should be her that was embarrassed to think of it in such a manner.

"As it is, he may have had some secret plan up his sleeve that he didn't get to pull out and show everyone. Raj had his moments of brilliance." Ryo laughed a little at the memory of them all. "Rajan was a wanderer, Hinata-san, anyone that could reel him in must have been pretty special."

Ryo let her words sink in a bit before taking a deep breath and continuing on. "But I am also sure that you wouldn't have told me all of this unless there was a reason to, am I right?" Hinata nodded, again bowing her head. "Is my brother the sire?"

For a moment silence reigned between the two women in the dappled sunlight of the calm forests surrounding Konoha. Hinata kept her head lowered and her grip around herself only tightened. It was probably the reason her whole demeanor had seemed familiar to Ryo. It reminded her of when she first found out she was pregnant with the twins.

The silence was broken when Kuroi came trotting back into the glen with the girls on her back, tongue lolled out to the side in a lupine smile. Atop her head both Rena and Shioni sat Rena aglow with glee and Shioni finally relaxing as she laughed along with Rena.

For a moment Kuroi gazed at Ryo and Hinata, crouched down in the grass next to the tree Hinata had decided to use for cover. Much like Ryo's reaction the black wolf cocked her head to the side as she inspected them both. Kuroi lowered the girls to the ground, waiting as Rena drug Shioni off to play with the other wolves and Riri then slowly approached.

The coal black wolf wordlessly sat near Ryo and waited with her for the woman's response.

Hinata gaped at Kuroi for a moment, eyes wide and inspecting with the Byakugan of the long-lost Shark Clan. Finally she became embarrassed by her gawking and turned away, again back in the present of her situation.

"Hai, Ryoki-sama." She finally whispered.

Well that settled that. Rajan had taken to the Akatsuki attack so quickly because he probably knew. He'd seen Ryo twice with child and probably had been keen enough to pick up on the signals a third time and instead of calling Hinata out on it, had just taken it upon himself to protect his mate and unborn. He knew Hinata would come to it in her own time and would have been ready to support her. As was his way. He was always a damn protector.

But now Raj was gone. The only thing that had kept Ryo herself from freaking completely out was Naruto who acted as an anchor when her own hormones had seemed to turn against her. Hinata did not have that and she was a complete polar opposite of Ryo in personality. How long had it taken her to work up the courage to even come forward…a couple weeks after his death?

"Hinata." Ryo finally found herself in a place she felt she could at least try to comfort the woman. She left off all the titles and formality, seeing now a family member instead of a Clan member she had to address in such a fashion. "Raj was the one to ask you to go stay with Rena and Kota wasn't he?"

"Hai, how did you…"

"Bets are he knew already." Ryo smiled sadly. "He was protecting you. Naruto even noticed it when he started spying on you two. So I guess that makes you a part of this pack now!"

Hinata nervously looked up at Kuroi, sniffing inquisitively at her and patiently awaiting an explanation. "I wouldn't…"

"It does Hinata." Ryo interrupted her. "So if you need anything you should come to us." She reached up and grabbed on to Kuroi's scruff and stood. "Kuroi, meet Hinata. Hinata was what Raj was so occupied with."

"Ah, so his prey was a mate then." Kuroi snuffed and chuckled a bit. "That pup never did know when to settle."

"Oh but he did Kuroi!" Ryo reached out her hand to Hinata and waited patiently for the woman to reach back up and take her hand so she could help her up. Once she finally did Ryo turned gleeful eyes on Kuroi. "Hinata will be having Raj's pup."

Kuroi was stunned momentarily. The older wolf blinked laid back down and then slowly began to chuckle. Ryo smiled reassuringly at Hinata, who seemed taken aback by the reaction, and then sighed at Kuroi. "You're not helping Kuroi."

"Of all the things that stupid pup does, he goes and does this to this poor woman." Kuroi finally snuffed and raised her nose to Hinata's stomach. "Raj never was one for responsibility was he?"

"He was good enough to send her away from Akatsuki when they showed up." Ryo defended.

"And to keep things quiet for so long." Hinata whispered defiantly as well.

"I'm curious about that Hinata. Why did you want to keep it such a secret? I know you said your family might not appreciate it but why?"

Hinata's gaze fell downwards again. She fingered the headband around her head and loosed the knot in the back. As it fell Ryo could see a light green marking that looked like a tattoo atop her head. She had been using the headband to hide it.

"A seal mark." Kuroi growled.

"My family has a long tradition." Hinata muttered. "My sister was chosen as Father's heir so I was marked as a part of the Branch Family. Each member of the Branch family must bear this mark…..to prevent anyone from stealing secrets of our eyes."

Ryo began growling along with Kuroi. Of all the stupid things humans did this had to be the worst. Marking their own kin to prevent an uprising or defections was just unheard of.

"What happens if you disobey?" Ryo finally ground out through clenched teeth.

"They activate the mark."

"And what does it do?" Kuroi began inspecting the mark more closely.

Hinata did not answer, she just lowered her gaze. Well that said it all. It killed whoever was unlucky enough to earn the activation of the seal.

"Of all the stupid things…" Kuroi began snarling more aggressively now and Hinata backed away. "Even those sharks were that way. Only the strongest survive. Well we all see how that turned out. The Shark Clan is extinct."

The way Hinata straightened at the expression Ryo had to wonder if she'd heard it before used in her family setting.

"Hinata, if they found out about you and Raj….about your pregnancy…what would happen?"

"I'm not sure." Hinata hung her head and fiddled with her fingers. "I'm too afraid to even think about it. The best that could happen is they just mark the child when it's born. But I do not want that! Raj would not have wanted that!" Suddenly something flared up in the woman and she grew bolder. "I do not want to make my child live like that. Raj would never forgive me…."

Ryo turned behind her to the playing children and the wolves. Raj would have wanted to claim Hinata and the child. He would have wanted to save her from whatever the Hyuuga Clan would have her doing. She was apparently not good enough to be claimed as the heir of her Main family so she was destined to something worse as a Branch. But how was he going to go about it? He must have had some plan.

"Rena! Shioni! I have to go take care of something okay! When Kuroi tells you it's time to go you follow Kouka home okay?" Ryo called out to the two girls. Rena only nodded enthusiastically and went back to their game. Shioni took a little longer but finally turned away also.

"I will watch the pups." Kuroi stood began to pace back towards her pack. "I will leave you to discover what Raj's idea was. Be careful though, Clans with that type of makeup are extremely aggressive and possessive. If there is the slightest chance that the child would have the shark-eye, they will want it."

Hinata sniffed a bit and wiped at her eyes. Ryo sighed, shoved her hands in her pockets and began walking back towards the village. "Come on Hinata, we'll figure this out."

"Ryoki-sama…."

"And no more of that 'sama' business, you're family now."

* * *

Naruto was sure there was another reason he and the twins had never stepped foot into the great plains of the Wind.

Man it was **hot**.

He had long since lost the sweater he had been wearing out of habit more than anything and abandoned it for the light black t-shirt he wore underneath. He still couldn't figure out how Shikamaru and Kakashi were so comfortable in their longer sleeves.

Course he hadn't been quite ready for the heat and the wind to be whipping at him like it was. _"Note to self, deserts are bad places. I think the wind is burning me indirectly." _He looked at his bare arms and noted the slightly pink hue they had taken on.

They were entering the village of Suna, both Shikamaru and Kakashi weaving their way expertly towards what Naruto assumed the Kazekage worked. They both seemed rather familiar with the place so Naruto merely trusted them and took in his scenery. It was odd just coming in to a village without the pretense and the back story already well worked out in his mind.

He missed those days actually. They were fun to come up with and Ryo always dressed up so nice.

"I also don't like you so quiet either." Shikamaru frowned back at him.

"Just enjoying the view."

"And mapping routes." Kakashi added in from behind his book.

"Hey it was a good practice to know the fastest and safest way outta dodge." Naruto shrugged and came up with the two men. "Plus you never know when you'll have to find somebody."

"Hard learned lessons?"

"Useful lessons." Naruto snorted at Shikamaru. "No matter how hard they were."

They continued on again in the silence. Shikamaru muttering something about troublesome and annoying. At least that hadn't changed about the lazy genius. As they neared the center of the city the traffic seemed to slow a bit and only ninja and elders floated about.

All the buildings in this village had a dark hue of brown in their tint. Of course when you lived in a desert there was very little to make home out of in this place. It wasn't very inviting though. There were cracks everywhere and it was somewhat confusing as to how the winds of this place just did not tear down the structures after so long.

"You really weren't lying."

The soft female voice broke Naruto's concentration and found himself in front of a tall blonde wearing black…with her huge fan attached to her back. He smirked a bit as Shikamaru greeted the woman and nodded in his general direction.

"Temari-sama." He bowed his head a little to her not sure of the protocol.

"You know something, I ought to slap you as hard as I can." She came striding right up to Naruto and came right face to face with him, the blonde Sand Ninja was near as tall as he was.

"Yes you and many others." Naruto agreed with her. Best course of action when faced with angry woman, agree with them.

"But I suppose we of Suna owe you a lot."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on then, keep up. The Kazekage has been expecting you." Temari turned and began walking down the hall they were currently in. Naruto noted there were no exchanges of endearment and he tried to hide a laugh at Shikamaru's 'wife'.

"Dang Nara, how'd she catch you?" he finally could not hold out any longer and had to poke fun at Shikamaru.

"Shut it Namikaze."

"Oh come on, you've seen Ryo. Anyway didn't you say something about wanting to find a nice woman and live a normal life? Jees you are far from that goal buddy."

He got no answer from Nara, now sulking a bit with his hands in his pockets. Naruto continued to laugh. He was still laughing when they finally entered an office and was now face to face with the Kazekage of Sand.

And it was a shock. The once Jinchuuriki no longer had the dark circles around his eyes. He remembered Gamabunta explaining the role of the medium and he wondered how long it took Gaara to get used to sleeping without the haunting nightmares of Shukaku. The man still looked like the gangly kid that had terrorized their Chuunin Exams though and he halted and gave a slight bow before straightening to look into those teal green eyes.

"Kazekage-sama, the delegation from Leaf." Temari announced then positioned herself along the wall of the room.

"So the rumors are true." Gaara stood and positioned himself right in front of Naruto. "You have come back from the dead."

"Well I guess I wasn't really dead to begin with." Naruto shrugged under the gaze. "But I guess that's what everyone else thought. I apologize for any fear I might have bred."

Temari's eyebrow shot up and even Gaara got a little look on his impassive face before returning to his normally bland stare.

"I got a little smarter while I was away." Naruto scratched his head and grinned. "I figured no one would mind that."

"That's not all we've heard." Gaara went to a window and began frowning. "We hear a large group of wolves, as tall as buildings, came to the aid of Konoha when Akatsuki invaded."

"Well with your positioning you've probably already heard about the Pack too. We used to be based in Grass."

"Yes, a few rumors about the lands in Northern Grass did come our way. What exactly was it that you found?"

"I found a clan of demons, Kazekage-sama. And what I found with them might have been of some interest to you at some point but now I'm not so sure."

"Because Akatsuki took the Shukaku's spirit from me." Gaara's teal blue eyes had not lost any of the intensity that they once held as he and Naruto stared at one another across the room. "And if I was still interested?"

"Then perhaps you would like to meet with one of those wolves you heard about." Naruto shrugged. "He can camouflage himself pretty well to appear as a dog, though his kind does not take to such deceptions."

Gaara and Temari shared a glance between themselves and Gaara returned to his seat. "Why are you still allied with them? If the Akatsuki leader has been dealt with…"

"I am still allied with them because they are family now. And I don't believe the true leader of Akatsuki has been dealt with; only the figure head. The true leader may well be an Uchiha, which in turn makes it my problem. "

Gaara nodded knowingly, apparently still holding memories of the fight he and Sasuke had during the Chuunin exams. Naruto still remembered the haunting voice of a boy lost to his loneliness claiming he and Sasuke had the same eyes…that only he and Sasuke could understand. Now that voice sounded calm and assertive, but he still sensed something lost.

That loss of the a bijuu.

"I have come to seek out the clan of the Raccoon Dog Shukaku. We know they must still exist, even if in small numbers." Naruto came right out and said it. Temari seemed to gape at the proposition but Gaara merely stared on impassively. "And if you would be open to it, we would like to open talks between the two."

"Between demons and humans?" Temari finally spoke up, voicing her concern. "Are you crazy?"

"No." Naruto smirked happily. "Would you like to meet a demon not driven to bloodlust Temari-san? I assure you that they are completely different beings."

Temari seemed to pale a bit and looked to Gaara for some kind of clue for what she should do. Shikamaru seemed to have some small pleasure in watching the woman squirm because he shifted his weight a little and was hiding his face by bowing his head.

_"He's gonna pay for that later." _Naruto thought happily.

"I promise both of you, I am not crazy and not on some wild errand for demons. I want to find a common ground because I think at one time we used to be on the same page. We lost our way somehow."

"Let's meet this wolf of yours."

* * *

It had taken days of coercing and long talks before the rest of Gaara's council finally agreed with the Kazekage's approval of such an expedition. Naruto had spent most of the time outside of Suna with Kiro, who also abhorred the heat of this place. Today he sat atop the large wolf's back, the gray/white wolf huffing and snuffing the shifting sands as the wind whipped the particles around in swirling patterns and clouds of dust.

Really it was relaxing after you got used to the battering winds. It allowed him a distraction from his current dilemma: finding the clan of demons when the last known time anyone had seen the Shukaku was well before anyone alive could actually say they'd seen the creature. Suna had long ago sealed the spirit of the Shukaku into a tea pot and then subsequently transferred the bijuu from one vessel to the next throughout the generations.

With that kind of history would the raccoon dogs even show themselves.

"_**Kitsune, are we allowed to go?" **_

Naruto glanced down at the green eyes peering up at him. "And where exactly are we going to go, Kiro?"

"_**Kitsune your nose is abysmal." **_Kiro huffed angrily and began loping easily through the sandstorm now forcing most everyone else into caverns and homes to wait out the blinding sand. Naruto allowed to the wolf to almost-trot along without disagreeing with him and kept his eyes peeled for whatever it was the wolf had found with his nose.

"_**You've learned how to use chakra to stick yourself to trees, walk on water, and all other manner of things but you haven't thought chakra + nose at all. Honestly some days I think you're a wolf and others I think you're a hopeless cause." **_Kiro continued on, a low growl in his throat.

"Yeah, Yeah, I've heard it all before you mutt." Naruto smiled a bit and gripped onto the gray/white fur a little tighter. He was actually surprised when Kiro had forcibly muzzled him up onto his back that day. The old wolf only ever let Ryo sit or lean on him like a pillow. Well there was that time shortly after he had come to the tree and the wolf had bitten him. Naruto wondered if Kiro had felt guilty about the nip back then.

Then again maybe all those years taking care of two little human children had changed this particular pack of wolves. Where once upon a time the wolves would have not felt or cared about a hurt or dying human, even one of their own would have been left for the better of the pack, now they came to care for the two children and slowly their own pups and pack members.

The foxes had been more feral but most of them had, at some point in their history, had some interaction with humans. They either had these interactions as young kits or there were some lone foxes that lived by illusion charms and passed themselves off as humans to survive. It was the main reason foxes were known for their charming and seduction, they frequently took other forms to get by.

Kiro broke out into a run as soon as the winds died down a little. Naruto was forced to grab on tighter into the thick scruff of the wolf. It was a good thing not too many people made a habit of living out in the desert.

"_**Smell the wind Kitsune. They are nearby." **_

So that was what the wolf was after. Kiro could smell what they were after. Naruto couldn't sense them much but it was not too long till he had his own indication that some animal was nearby. There was this insistent screaming in the air.

Not the screaming a human would make, nor snarls or growls of a wolf, even the yips of a fox was not as high pitched as the noise meeting his ears. Kiro came to a slow stop, lowering his head and searching the sand. Finally a small brown head popped up with dark black marking beneath its eyes. The creature, which did look like a large raccoon, kept coming out of the sand, wary black and gold eyes fixed upon Kiro and Naruto.

"_**Go away, go away, go away." **_The little demon raccoon dog began repeating constantly, its long tail curving into a U shape as it got more and more agitated. Kiro laughed beneath him and Naruto leapt off to stand beside the demon wolf.

"_**Even worse, human, human, human." **_the demon began to screech again. Other, more far away, screeches joined in.

"_**Be silent you little mongrel." **_Kiro finally snapped his jaw coming shut with a loud thump. "_**I did not come all this way, as a loner, just to usurp your territory." **_

"_**No even worse, eaten, devoured, killed." **_

Kiro huffed and sighed heavily before turning to Naruto. "_**This is where the trouble lays Kitsune. As those of the Land of Wind explained they had taken Shukaku many, many generations ago. And even before they took him, the old raccoon had already lost himself in this madness. As a result the one tail's are becoming cousin-kind. This is one is fairly close to being a cousin." **_

"Just wonderful." Naruto snarled back and took in the creature before him. If it were not for the gold/black eyes and the odd tattooing the raccoon dog would pass as just a desert creature. Instead it was just dumb and nearly mute.

"_**Shukaku! Shukaku!" **_The raccoon dog rocked back onto its hind legs and began to pet the tattooed fur of its belly. "_**The Greatfather!"**_

"_**Ah so you understand that do you little cousin?" **_Kiro let his lips curl back and lay in the hot shifting sands. "_**Do you know of the 9 Lords?' **_

"_**The Greatfathers!" **_

"I take it that is a no?"

"_**Not exactly, no. More of an association. They must have called Shukaku the Greatfather." **_

Naruto cringed at the thought. When he had seen Shukaku after it had possessed Gaara there was nothing too 'great' about him. The wolves were regal and noble; they always carried themselves in that manner. The foxes were quick and intelligent; and they only allowed you to see what they wanted you to see. The only word he could think of for Shukaku was: crazy.

Before they could dwell more on the raccoon dog's logic or puzzle out why he had reacted to Shukaku's name a new shadow seemed to emerge from the sands, slinking up slowly behind their first discovery. It was a much larger dog. It towered over the little dog that began sinking back into the sand, but still allowing its eyes and ears to peek above the ground level.

"_**Ah have we started to attract attention." **_Kiro laughed.

"_**What are you doing here Wolf?" **_The larger raccoon dog sounded more intelligent to Naruto. It also seemed less feral.

"We're here to talk business." Naruto butted in.

"_**So the human understands us does he? Very well, we have no business with your kind, go away." **_

"_**You did not let us even propose our business." **_Kiro stretched and stood once again, showing how much he could dwarf the smaller raccoon.

"_**I don't need to know it. You are a wolf, a predator, and he is a human…the captors of the Greatfather." **_

"_**If I were you I would not be so quick to judge." **_Kiro snarled back in return to the little canine. "_**Surely you have heard of the Red Dawn that encroaches on all lands."**_

"_**We have heard of such. And what does it matter to us? Our lands are taken. Our Clan is broken. The only thing left is for the rest of us to go the way of the Cousin-Kind and let it end." **_

"You throw in the towel awfully easy. That doesn't seem very ….demon-like."

The raccoon dog responded in kind by snapping out to bite Naruto who merely dodged out of the way and threw some of his own chakra back at the canine to force him back. Naruto smirked when he heard the low guttural snarl as the raccoon dog mimicked his cousin's actions and began petting the fur on his stomach.

"_**You should not be so quick to judge." **_Kiro repeated himself and chuckled at the bewildered look of the raccoon.

"_**What kind of trickery is this? It is a human but he feels like…"**_

"_**Like the Kyuubi?" **_Naruto happily snarled back really causing the raccoon to sit up and take notice.

"_**A Jinchuriki."**_

"_**A fox! A Fox!" **_the smaller dog began chirping loudly in the late afternoon air. Like before more chirps sounded out from surrounding areas.

"_**Be quiet you little pest!" **_the bigger dog snapped down at the smaller, causing the cousin to quickly curl up and blend into the sand beneath all of their feet. "_**So, you are the heir of the Kyuubi. How unfortunate for you."**_

"I can't complain." Naruto shrugged a bit and leaned over to Kiro's shoulder. "I've made some interesting friends because of it."

"_**The fox and wolf claim allegiance again. What? You realize now we are canine's like you?" **_

"No, we realized you once had a clan head taken by the Red Dawn. We thought perhaps you would be interested in a deal of sorts. That is if you are the head of this clan by proxy, of course."

The demon raccoon dog began absently tracing the tattoos on his stomach with elongated claws, absently murmuring as it went. The smaller dog also was muttering and whispering to itself in an odd show of comfort. Naruto looked to Kiro, who only shrugged his massive shoulders and shook his head. Their behavior was just as odd to Kiro as it was to Naruto.

Finally though the dark brown eyes of the Raccoon Dogs focused upon him and the smaller creature approached sniffing carefully at Naruto's feet.

"_**My name is Shuki." **_The more intelligent of the two spoke. "_**And I'm listening." **_

_**

* * *

**_

**Words and Meanings**

**Kitsune - **fox  
**Ookami - **wolf  
**Kami - **god  
**Ren'ai - **love, affections  
**Tou-san - **slang version of Father  
**Kaa-san - **slang version of Mother  
**Kiro - **crossroads, one's way  
**Kuroi – **black  
**Shuki – **liquor smell, tipsiness  
**Kyuubi - **nine, also the name that the Demon Fox Spirit is known by  
**Butaigan – **elemental eye  
**Nani – **what  
**Hai – **yes  
**Bijuu – **demon spirit  
**Fuuton – **wind  
**Doton – **earth  
**Suiton – **water  
**Kouka – **yellow peril  
**Akatsuki – **reddawn


	10. To Pass Down and On

**The Strength of the Wolf**

**Chapter 9:** To Pass Down and On

**Chapter Summary:** There is a saying in the Land of Fire; that the generation before always takes to heart. They always know when the time has come to pass down and pass on. The time has come for those of the generation before to pass down the knowledge to the next that will leave them ready to face the future of their world. They can only hope that they prepared them properly and that they will all carry on the will of fire.

**Author's Note: **I n case any have missed I've done some reposting of some of the chapters. Chapters 2, 3, 5 and 8 have all had some reworking done in them. Chapter 8 was finally, I guess in a sense, Finished so might want to hit the old back button a bit to recap. Other than that we're moving forward. You will notice on my profile that I've posted the future chapters of this fic and that after this one there is only 3 and a short closing left. I am somewhat planning on spin-off fic for future but it's not been outlined yet so still merely planned ;) Enjoy! Fixed a prob with Chapter 4 and 5 being the same..sorry about that!

"_Men have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed." Antoine de Saint-Exupery_

_

* * *

_

Namikaze Naruto could no longer deny the coming change. The thirty-one year old man could sense it in the air like a heavy rain that had yet to fall. Everyone could tell it was going to rain but they had no sense of when or where and that left everyone staring up at the sky hopeful and fearful at the same time.

Naruto first realized it as the proceedings of the previous day had played out. It had been **him** making the calls, not Tsunade. The older woman had completely sat back and said nothing for most of the day. No one else questioned the change in tactics either. Ninja merely accepted their assignments, council members merely made their requests or comments to him, and at the end of the day he had finished all but a few pieces of the countless paper trails that had to exist for each and every mission.

And for a good deal of that day a medium sized golden fox had either sat at his feet, laid across his shoulders, or just followed him through the Hokage Tower. No one had once questioned his presence either.

Naruto sat now at the kitchen table of his home sipping on hot tea from a black ceramic mug; his eyes unfocused as he stared into the backyard. He'd taken up the more formal regalia of a Shinobi of the Leaf over the past couple of years and the varied diet had let him fatten up a bit from the slender, wiry frame he had acquired in Grass. This was pretty much it though. Tsunade had been working for years and at each and every angle to get him into the position of 'successor'. After that she had done everything she could to make sure he was prepared for it…that he knew what was expected of him. Yesterday he had taken the wheel and had done nothing to earn the woman's comment.

That meant he was ready, in Tsunade's eyes.

"_Kami, why does it feel like I'm on pins and needles?_" Naruto frowned at himself. Usually he was not nervous about things. He just did them. But this still flared up a tiny seed of self-doubt. He was about to become a leader of a village. His actions would decide the outcome of countless people and countless ninja. He was now the alpha of this village.

"_Kami…."_

"Why did I know you'd be sitting here looking like a lost puppy?"

Naruto spun around to the window facing out the other side of his kitchen. There was Ryoki, crouched in the window like a wild animal, smirking madly at him as she waited for him to acknowledge her.

"Ren'ai!"

"What? I'm going to miss both my mate's ascension to alpha and my kits' indoctrination into the pack?"

Naruto pushed back from the table and came up to quickly grab the woman out of the window and just hugged as tightly as he could. Ryo had been gone for nearly seven months this time around. Even though he heard from her and they had ways of contacting one another, it did not make her presence any less missed.

Her arms came around his neck and she rubbed her chin in his somewhat shaggier hair.

"I've missed you too Kitsune." Ryo whispered in his ear and he finally sat her down, her arms still draped around his neck. She looked up longingly into his eyes and Naruto smirked confidently at the wolf-woman now back in his home.

"It's been a hard trip this time, Ookami. I take it the clans of the Rooster are not quite open to the idea."

"They are somewhat open. It has just taken them some time to get used to several large wolves." Ryo smirked and slugged him in the shoulder. "It took the first few months to assure them we weren't there to eat them!"

"Well you know how predators are." Naruto snorted in laughter and hugged her tightly again.

"So what's with that far-away look there Kitsune?"

"Oh you know, thinking."

"Asshole."

"Honestly? I realized that I was ready. You being here must mean that Tsunade went behind my back and contacted you. "

"Hai." Ryo leapt up and sat on the counter of the kitchen, swinging her feet back and forth happily. "I've said that I like that woman right?"

"Many times Ren'ai." Naruto groaned a bit. "So she told you she was handing over the hat soon?"

"That's what she said. She also said Mino and Miska graduated."

"Oh yes." Naruto returned to his tea, held it up in offering and then began drinking again when Ryo refused. "The whole village is talking about that one."

"Well they are what, eight now?"

"Not the youngest that have graduated strangely enough. That title still belongs to Kakashi-sensei."

"The scarecrow?! He doesn't seem the type to be an overachiever."

"Apparently he was a different person before we knew him." Naruto shrugged, he had never really delved that far into the past with Kakashi. Didn't seem prudent and Kakashi did not seem forthcoming so he had let it go.

Ryo merely snorted and lie back on the counter, letting her head dangle over the edge. She was glancing out the window to the tree Mino now claimed as his and saw the 8-year-old boy tying on a silver headband with a leaf imprinted on the front of it. "Oh they're still here?"

"Hai, Mino and Miska will go in here soon. Rena's already there."

"How does she like it?"

"As long as she's with Shioni or Riri she's fine." Naruto smiled at how easily it was to catch up with Ryo. "I hear she's a terror to the first year instructors."

"Rena? Our Rena?"

"She asks a lot of hard questions."

"Oh…."

"Kaa-san!"

Ryo sat back up eagerly as Miska came running from her room, her own headband tied around her neck in a collar fashion. Her long hair was in its signature pigtails, but Naruto knew the first thing Ryo was seeing was the change. A few months ago Miska began dying the tips of her pigtails black. When he questioned her about it she merely smirked with his grin and said Yuki and Tama had suggested it and she liked it. Mino later said she was going for the look of a fox's tail.

Even after living in Konoha for three years the kits still held onto a tiny bit of their feral nature.

"When did you get back?" Miska asked in a hurried voice.

"Just now." Ryo smiled as Miska wrapped her arms around her waist. "I hear you and Mino are now Genin."

"Hai!" Miska puffed out her chest proudly and showed off the shiny metal now around her neck. "We get placed today."

"Well I hope they find a good packmate for you and your brother. Go tell him to get in here."

Miska nodded and rushed outside to grab Mino. As she did Ryo's eyes fixated upon Naruto and she squinted threateningly. "What's with her hair?"

"I knew you'd ask that. I don't know. Someone got a good idea and she likes it that way."

"It looks like one of the demon foxes' tails." Ryo snorted and turned her attention outside to the two twins rushing to get ready. "More and more like you Kitsune."

"Hey now! I thought we were done with the blaming game."

"Never."

Naruto huffed but smiled quietly. He couldn't help but notice Ryo's obvious return to how he once knew her. She moved just as fluently as she had in her twenties and she seemed more at ease within the walls of the home. But that was because she would soon be gone again, along with Kiro and Kuroi, out to the demon clans and back to what she was good at. Ryo was a demon; nothing could ever change that perception of herself.

The short stint of her trying to be a human had highlighted that fact more than anything else, and when he had returned from his stay in Suna she had eagerly jumped on him for all of the details. That was when he knew she needed to do this. She wasn't ready to settle in one place and though they missed each other and the kits were growing more and more without her presence they both knew this was for the best. Ryo needed her freedom but she also needed this base to return to. That's how it always was at the tree. They would go out, have some fun and explore, but they always returned home.

"Heya Kaa-san."

"Heya too." Ryo reached out and ruffled Mino's spiky hair. "You're getting tall on me aren't you?"

"Hai a bit." Mino flustered a bit under his mother's gaze and looked back at Naruto. "What are you doing home?"

Mino was just as independent as his mother. He did not seem fazed by this change of routine and enjoyed when Ryo was home but did not necessarily need her there. Mino was Mino, a single-minded force of nature that was about to turn Naruto's light blonde hair gray.

"Oh, I heard you two were going to start hunting soon, so I figured I'd better come home and make sure those idiot teachers of yours weren't going easy on you." Ryo snapped down to the floor and smirked. "But that can wait till after your father's little ceremony."

Both twins cocked their heads, opposite of one another, and blue eyes focused on Naruto.

"What'd Tou-san do now?"

"Yeah what happened?"

"Baa-chan is getting tired of being the responsible one." Naruto spoke up from the table and smirked at the two identical shocked looked on the twin's face. "So she's naming me the Rokudaime Hokage."

"Seriously?" Mino scrunched up his face in a damn evil grin. "You're gonna be running the show?"

"Hai in a sense." Naruto sighed and waved his hand towards the door. "You guys are going to be late if you two stay here any longer."

Both twins blinked then shot off at the mention of the time. At least he did not ever have to worry the two would be chronically late to things; they always seemed rushed and eager to be where they had to be.

Ryo watched them go and leaned back against the counter she once had been sitting on. "They seem to have this under control. Kami, Mino's getting wiry."

"Hai, he's a speed demon." Naruto stood and leaned over the counter so his head was just at Ryo's shoulder. "He just does not sit still. Miska's a bit calmer but she's just as good at hiding herself so who knows what she's up to half the time."

"She's up to trouble, that's what she's up to." Ryo smirked. "Miska's always been like you."

"Hai, Mino's a little more driven than I was." Naruto agreed. His son had a change of personality somewhere along the lines. "Rena's still a wild card."

"Well that's only fitting she's five."

"The twins were well established by the time they were five."

"Rena's not like the twins, now is she?" Ryo winked and got a happy little grin on her face. "She just hasn't found her footing yet. Speaking of, how is Hinata and Razzy doing? I swear if that ass Hiashi so much as touched them…"

"Razzy." Naruto snorted. "Wait till he gets old enough to tell you to stop calling him that. They're fine Ren'ai. I've kept close tabs on them just like I promised. Hinata and Raz still come here a couple times a week and so far Raz is just like Raj; just the one eye and it's clearly your eye not the Byakugan. Hiashi has no basis to mark the kid with that curse mark. Not that Hinata and Neji would let him."

Ryo had begun to growl a little. "I know that he claims allegiance with your Clan but I think he's a horrible leader to allow such things to happen. Grow a spine and stand up to the decrepit old fools who think it is wise to mark their clan with death when they have no power over their own inheritance."

Naruto smirked up at Ryo knowing full well if she had the power to pull Hinata from her family she would have the moment she realized who Rajan had claimed. They had this talk almost every time she returned from her missions. The little boy in question, Ryazan, was the son born to Hinata two years ago after her short affair with his brother, Rajan. Most of them had taken to calling the little boy Raz and so far the boy looked a lot like his father. He had wild brown hair, just a shade darker than Rajan's and hazel brown eyes with just one that had lost its pupil.

When Ryo had first informed Naruto, Naruto could not believe it. Rajan moved fast but damn he wasn't that careless so Naruto could only assume that Rajan had purposefully allowed himself to get that attached to Hinata. Why, no one would ever know, but obviously he cared enough about her to protect her and more than likely had some idea of getting her from the Hyuuga. So they had gone to the Hokage, concerned about the curse mark placed upon Hinata and of course the future of her child should Hinata remain with her clan.

Hiashi at first had been adamant that the child was a Hyuuga with Rajan not present to claim the child. Naruto was furious and, what many saw as his first political maneuver, he latterly backed Hiashi into a corner and then threatened him with threats of both terminating clan agreements and preventing any Hyuuga from then on out from entering service to Konoha. Naruto's reasoning? Why have ninja that they did not know if they could call upon or would even still be alive the next day? That was pointless and crippling to the Hokage's ability to resource their missions and work.

Hiashi had relented. He begrudgingly agreed the child would not be marked as many branch members would be so long as it was clear he did not have the Byakugan. Ryazan had been born the same way Miska had been, with two normal looking eyes. It was a point towards him either having no bloodline limit, the two had canceled each other out, or he was like his cousin and the Butaigan would show up later on in his life.

That was Ryo's concern. A few months ago he had sent a fox to her and the wolves in the deep reaches of Lightning and told her that Hinata had brought Raz over and showed Naruto exactly what they had hoped for. Raz's left eye had lost its pupil. Ryo was still worried that the other eye would somehow morph into a Byakugan and then she'd have to fight to protect her brother's pup.

"Actually I'm sure they'd be glad to know you're back in town." Naruto stretched and straightened. "I have to go pick a bone with the old lady and I'm sure there's a lot of process and paperwork with what she wants to do. You don't want to watch that do you?"

"Hardly Kitsune, though I wouldn't mind watching you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow amused but moved about to head for the tower for the day. "Ookami if it was in my power to just run out in the woods with you, I'd do it now."

"What's stopping you?"

"Apparently I'm responsible now."

"Highly doubtful." Ryo smirked back. "But you are right. I'll go find Hinata and Razzy. Hurry up with the paperwork though, we've not seen each other for seven months and I'm sure the kits as Genin now can take care of themselves for a few nights."

"Yes my liege." Naruto bowed to her and watched as she exited the same way she came in.

Things were changing again. Just when Naruto he was settled he found himself learning to deal with something new, but then again that was half the fun in all of this.

They all liked trouble and excitement.

* * *

The sunny days in Konoha were quite pleasant once one was able to stop and enjoy them. There were numerous shade trees in which to sit or sit beneath and the breeze would ever so often send a cascade of green leaves to the ground below. It was the perfect place for many civilians who had come running from other horrors or dying villages of old.

Hatake Kakashi himself was just now realizing just where it was he lived. He normally did not have the time to notice but slowly he was finding himself with more and more free time on his hands.

He quite possibly was the most known ninja produced by the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Well the one of the few still alive anyway. He had become one of the youngest jounin in the village's history and not too long after that he had acquired that which gave him his moniker. In the past few years there had even been a persistent rumor that he, of all people, would be the next Hokage of the Village.

As if.

Kakashi had not thought of the possibility as a younger man but when faced with that possibility he had balked. When he had been young, there was an overactive blonde who fearlessly gave his life for their village, and after that there was an overactive blonde who constantly proclaimed he was going to follow in the other blonde's footsteps. Kakashi never had anything to worry about.

But then Naruto had disappeared.

At first it took no one's notice. In the recovery of the village after Sand and Sound's invasion, most of the village resources were going towards getting back what was lost; to showing the other countries that they had not lost any amount of power or stamina and what Orochimaru had done to them had been a mere scratch. Konoha would not fall so easily.

They of course had the Will of Fire to keep them upright.

But slowly they began to notice that Naruto's usual sunny presence was missing. It at first was attributed to Sasuke's leaving. He was not loudly bemoaning all the tedious work in the village or hounding the new Hokage which Naruto himself had convinced to come back to Konoha. At first they had merely searched his favorite places, his home, and all his known hiding spots. But when none of those had produced the blonde they began looking outwards. Still nothing produced Naruto and there was little trace of where he had been.

Inwardly Kakashi had cursed and started fanning out in larger searches, going to the Valley of the End and retracing those steps he had taken to find the blonde after the huge falling out he and his teammate had. The loss of Sasuke had scarred more than Sakura, and Naruto, ever dedicated to keeping his promises, might have done something incredibly stupid. And yet, Kakashi never found more than a faded trace of orange material in the river coursing through the valley.

Of course the talk turned towards Akatsuki. After two weeks and no sign of the kid they had to consider that Itachi and Kisame had left someone behind to collect the Jinchuuriki after the defense had lightened enough for them to do so. Their previous trip into Konoha had almost seemed pointless from the view of their objective; they'd not even gotten close to Naruto then.

After several months and the blonde still did not return, the talk turned more serious. Many began to believe Naruto was dead, Sakura among them. Naruto always came back and always defied odds so if he was gone this long he had to be dead. That's when the younger generation began to catch on to the secrets of the previous generation and the harder questions began.

And Tsunade, somewhat defeated and broken in her loss, had told them. She had told them almost everything about Naruto's youth, his status in the village, and of course about the demon fox. Much to their surprise no one from the Rookie 9 turned on the blonde. They merely demanded to know why such hostility against their missing friend had been allowed to persist and then they returned to their own duties; defeated.

Kakashi had known one thing for certain, however. Naruto was not dead.

Jiraiya had come quickly once they were sure that Naruto wasn't playing some elaborate prank or had hurt himself training or trying to find Sasuke. The Toad Sannin had been turning up stone after stone on his way back to Konoha and had uncovered nothing, but Jiraiya also knew one thing for certain. Naruto was not dead.

The only way both men could clearly hold onto that conviction was the fact that Naruto's name was proudly scrawled in dried blood on Jiraiya's toad summoning contracts and with that contract came a bond with summoner and summoned creature. The summons had ways of knowing if one of their contracts had been broken and none of the Toads of Myouboku reported feeling that their contract with Naruto had been broken.

They had not been summoned by the Jinchuuriki in months but they knew he still existed. So Naruto was not dead. He was missing, presumed to be dead.

Months turned to years and that conviction of Naruto's death became much more permanent. Kakashi had accepted it and moved on and tried as best he could to be the somewhat steady force remaining of Team 7 for Sakura's sake. The kunochi had retreated for a long time after both boys of her team disappeared; leaving her behind. But that depression had soon been replaced by a hard determination to prove herself and she had gone to the Hokage, requesting to learn all she could from the strongest kunochi Konoha had ever produced.

That was when the rumors began. Tsunade-sama was slightly older when she became the Hokage. She could not forever sit in that throne as Sarutobi had and not expect it to end the same way. The next likely candidate in the village was Kakashi.

But then a miracle had happened even if Kakashi had not seen it as a miracle at first. All he had seen was a ghost from his past fighting with something in the training ground he had always favored among all others. He'd thought then that he had finally cracked and he was seeing things but Sakura had pointed out two unattended children and Kakashi had gone forward to confront the imposter who looked just like Minato-sensei.

And instead was faced with Minato-sensei's son.

Naruto had returned to Konoha, but it seemed he had been forced to that decision; by the way he talked at first. Had Sasuke not come to claim the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto would have never followed Jiraiya back to Leaf and he and his family would be blissfully unaware of any of the larger conflicts of the world.

Kakashi had kept his distance after all was said and done and three years later it was almost an easy truce between himself and the returned Namikaze. Kakashi would do nothing to force himself upon Naruto, even when it seemed Naruto had no ill-will towards him after all was explained. It had been one of Kakashi's many failures after becoming Team 7's captain and he constantly retraced his decisions and his logic but the result still ended up the same.

Just as Naruto had explained to Sakura, Naruto had left because he had to. It was not because of Sasuke, it was not because of those who knew him best, but it was because of the fox and everyone's perception of the fox that had driven away the boy who should have been treated as Konoha's greatest savior, not its pariah.

As the family had integrated itself Kakashi had become more aware of the change. Naruto had grown and matured out in the fields of Grass and what he had brought with him was equally impressive. He knew now the ways of demons. He knew their traditions, their power, and their memories. With that kind of knowledge and backup, there was little anyone could say in protest to him returning to the Leaf.

Still Kakashi believed it had been Naruto's other saving grace that helped him return as well. It had always been Naruto's gift. He could befriend even the devil himself, and as many might look upon his status among demons; he had.

Kakashi still stayed away. He would not force himself on Naruto and try to explain his failure further.

The rumors began to shift. No longer was Kakashi in the running for Hokage. It was now the heir of the Yondaime the village had cherished. Instead it was now rumored Kakashi would be the one to train the Namikaze Twins. Both were so smart and talented they would surely be apprenticed to someone. But again the rumor gossips were wrong.

Kakashi would not force himself on Naruto and he certainly would not train Genin again. He'd screwed that up royally the first and only time he tried it.

It was not as if the twins needed anyone to teach them anything at all. Both 8 year olds were extremely ahead of their age-mates and they were well beyond the abilities of others in their class. Even though their arrival in the Village had been quiet and subdued, Mino and Miska were no longer timid and cautious…

No that was wrong; Mino had never been timid or cautious. He threw all sheets to the wind and excelled at whatever his mind had become fixated upon. It was that single-minded driven nature that had caused Kakashi to shy away as well. Paired with the boy's near identical looks to both his father and his grandfather, that driven nature of his was a near copy of the Yondaime Hokage.

Still it was nice to see it back in some form. Naruto certainly had a drive to him but it was not the drive of genius…it was the drive to prove. Mino knew he didn't have to prove anything, but he had to prove to himself and that drove the boy further and farther than his father would probably ever go.

"Kakashi-Otooji."

Kakashi blinked up above him in the tree branches of his tree he had found to read beneath. It really was nice to have slower days; to know that he could now rely on the next generation to take care of the crisis's that would pop up. It gave him more time for leisurely activities. He was getting older as it was and he was sure sooner or later his luck at dodging death would come to an end. It did with every shinobi in one way or another.

"Are you busy?"

He snapped his book shut and turned his full attention upwards to Rena, now five years old and expertly attached to the tree bark above him. Genius was a rare thing but it seemed to breed like a rampant gene in the Namikaze line. Each one of Naruto's children had this insatiable thirst for anything and everything they could get their hands on and Rena was no different.

"Iie Rena-chan, what can I do for you?"

Unlike the loud, brash twins, Rena was a complete polar opposite. She was quiet, well-mannered, and calm in most cases. She was just as intelligent as her older siblings but she carried herself differently. She was just different from most of the rest of her family.

Her nickname for him had not escaped his notice, not even the first time she had used it. It was odd to hear the child calling him 'Uncle Kakashi'. Three years ago Rena had been the one to be the most frightened by his Sharingan. Whenever he had come to find Naruto for Tsunade or he had seen the family out in the village, Rena would have shrunk away and clutched to her parents.

But now she was much more confident and she had a better foothold in which to approach him. And she had, oddly enough. It usually wasn't to pester him about training her, or to show her something to use against her siblings, it normally was just the little girl seeking out companionship.

Her mother was Kami knew where this time around, speaking with demons and country leaders trying to reestablish the treaties between mortal and demon. Ryoki was uniquely suited to the task and she probably enjoyed the freedom it gave her. Rena's father, the returned prodigal son, was busy with Tsunade to learn all the ropes of his soon-to-be-role in the village: Hokage.

The twins had graduated and they were constantly training, spying, or pranking someone. That left Rena and her pets alone to do as she would. Rena being Rena never took the proposition as a way to make trouble; instead she took it as a way to follow her own ambitions.

Which strangely enough always led her to him, and Kakashi did not know whether to be pleased or frightened by the idea.

"Nothing really." The little girl landed right next to him and glanced out over the training fields. As always, right behind her trotted a wolf. Riri was now up to the 5-year-old's shoulder and barked happily up at Kakashi in greeting. "I was bored."

"_And lonely." _Kakashi added for himself. "Well we can't have that can we? Hmmm, what are you working on in class lately?"

Rena had predictably followed her sibling's footsteps. She joined the rank of Academy students along with her best friend Shioni and the two held tightly to one another even though Rena could possibly advance much faster. She stuck around for Iruka's daughter's sake. So as such she usually ended up being dismissed early or had little trouble with her homework.

"Bushin."

"You've got a good hold on that I'm sure."

"Hai, I do the Kage Bushin's pretty well now." Rena's blue eyes turned back to Kakashi who had leaned forward and let his arms dangle over his knees as he talked with the child. "I do have a little trouble keeping those up though."

"Hai, hai, you would." Kakashi nodded sagely and looked over to Rena's pet, an Inuzuka wolf/dog hybrid. Rena was still the mystery. No one was quite sure of her strengths or her weaknesses and there were still her eyes to puzzle out.

"Actually…" there was a timid tone to the girl's voice and Kakashi cocked his head to the side to watch Rena as she fingered the edge of the t-shirt she wore. "Can I show you something weird?"

Well that was odd. "Sure."

Rena merely reached out and grabbed a clump of dirt with one hand and then covered it with her other. He could tell she was manipulating chakra but until she uncovered her hand of dirt he wasn't sure what it was she was doing. So he waited patiently for the child to finish her trick. When she finally uncovered the dirt Kakashi had gone rigid and sat up straighter to look more closely.

There in the middle of the dirt was a small sapling. Or what appeared to be a small sapling. That was not right, that was the kekkei genkai of the late Hokage's and a certain ANBU that he knew. Wood Element?

"See it's weird. I knew it!" Rena let the dirt fall and the tree crumpled as soon as her hands left it. "I can do it with water too."

"With water? What do you mean Rena-chan?"

"Shioni and I were …were practicing the other day. I got bored so I wanted to learn to walk on water like Sonkei and Aneue do. Shioni was keeping watch. I did just like I've seen everyone else do but when my foot touched the water it froze there."

"It froze there?"

"Yeah like the icicles that used to form on the Tree. It was frozen water." Rena shuffled her feet a bit. "It wouldn't let go until I just stopped using my chakra all together and I fell in."

Kakashi tamped down the rampant questions forcing themselves to be answered in his head. "Can you show me?"

Rena nodded and they made their way to the river that cut through some of the training grounds. Quietly Rena did as most anyone else just learning to water walk would do and focused her Chakra in her feet. She stepped out onto the water and within seconds, just as she had explained before ice formed around her feet and created a small circle beneath her on the water.

Quiet blue eyes turned back to him and he slowly walked out on the water with her taking note of the absolute way the ice incased her feet and the surrounding surface. He crouched down and looked and then back up to Rena, desperately wanting him to answer her unspoken question.

"_She's unconsciously mixing chakra types. Something that only bloodlines can do in some families." _The ice in front of him reminded him of Team 7's encounter with Zabuza and Haku. The mirrors of Ice that the boy had created were Haku's unique bloodline. The tree sapling in the dirt that was Tsunade's grandfather's known bloodline. "_But it's not just two set chakra types, so far she's mixed three separate ones." _

Kakashi met Rena's eyes and found himself staring at the pupil-less deep blue orbs that Rena was now known for. Ryoki had one eye that was blue with no pupil, as had her late brother Rajan. Miska also had this odd eye. One Butaigan eye and One Normal Eye. That was how the bloodline presented itself in previous generations. As Ryoki had explained it no one had ever brought up the fact of her and her twin's odd eyes during their short life with their biological family. They thought it was a genetic defect because they were twins. After joining up with the wolves, they had learned how to use their eye the only way they could. They could use it to determine what element their opponent's were using and then switch their own affinity as it suited the situation. Something quite useful in a world full of different elemental types, as you could easily switch the element that your opponent's element would be weak to and cancel each other out.

He stood again and put his hands under Rena's arms. "You can let go now Rena"

Rena did as she was told and released her chakra. Just as she had told him the ice disappeared and had he not previously grabbed a hold of her, she would have dropped straight into the water. Instead he hoisted her up on to his shoulders, she wrapped her arms around his forehead, and he began to walk back to solid ground, hands shoved into his pockets.

"Rena-chan, has your mother ever told you what element you're strong in?"

"Iie, she says she doesn't know yet."

Hmm that was interesting. Ryoki was very good at determining types. She did not need the special chakra paper to tell her what element a person was attuned to. Granted most did not find their affinity until they started working more and more with their chakra but there were some cases that it was apparent. Uchiha Clan members normally were Fire, his clan seemed to favor Lightning, and the Namikaze line seemed to favor Wind.

If he traced back what he knew of the family as a whole, it was three Wind Natures, an Earth Nature and a Water Nature. If Rena was taking after her mother's side of the family, she should either be water or earth.

"Can you see elements like your kaa-san?"

"Hai. You're yellow."

Kakashi grinned and nodded, his primary element was lightning. "So you know about elements and their natures then?"

"Kinda. I know what they look like. I dunno what to do with 'em yet."

And there lied the problem she was having. Rena did not need someone to teach her basic skills, she picked those up like candy just like her siblings. What Rena was going to need as someone to teach her elemental manipulation and soon. The girl was subconsciously mixing all the elemental types around her and accidently coming upon hidden bloodline traits.

Rena had finally revealed what her eyes did. One eye of the Butaigan is enough to switch your primary element, but once you stop reflexively doing so you return to your normal given element. Both eyes of the Butaigan were devastating. Reflexively one could and would start drawing on the elements around the user and mix them. He highly doubted Rena even had a primary element to her chakra now, because she was instinctively always drawing on her chakra like her family did.

"Rena-chan, what do you say we go to the tower?"

"I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"Iie, I just think your father would be upset to know you've been hiding this from him and your mother."

"Kaa-san isn't even here and Tou-san wouldn't know what to do. He'd just start to worry." Rena frowned. "He's worried enough now."

Kakashi laughed and shook his head. It was the one thing that had shocked him about Naruto. He always seemed to have no cares in the world but apparently Naruto was a worrier. Having grown up alone and through his type of childhood, Naruto seemed on the outside to be a very relaxed and dutiful parent. Inwardly though he was sure Naruto worried constantly and did whatever was in his power to protect his children from whatever harms would befall them. Still he seemed to be the actual 'parent' of himself and Ryoki. Ryoki treated her children more like pack members and was sure to keep an eye out but believed in letting the 'kits' find out for themselves what not to do.

"So why come to me?" Kakashi had to admit he was curious. Rena had her goal in mind when she found him just moments ago.

"You have the copy-wheel and you are really smart." Rena looked behind them and all around. "And the Hyuuga are scary."

"Even Hinata-sama?" Kakashi joked; surprised that Rena hadn't sought out her unofficial aunt in trying to distinguish why she froze water when her chakra met it.

"Hinata-obasan is busy with Raz. He has an eye like Miska-chan and Kaa-san now." Rena explained. "Her father is really scary and I don't think Neji-sama likes us too much."

"Neji doesn't know how to react to any of you." Kakashi smirked. "So you realized that it had to do with your eyes then."

"Hai. It seemed like the only reason."

Kakashi stopped and looked up at the girl. "You do know that my copy-wheel is not a bloodline trait? I inherited this eye from my friend who died on a mission."

"Hai, you're not an Uchiha." Rena recited. "But you had to learn to use it too didn't you? The Uchiha wouldn't show you would they?"

Kakashi had to admit that Rena was very good. When they had finally made it back to Konoha the Uchiha Clan had been absolutely livid about his new eye. If it hadn't been for Obito's parents realizing that Obito would have wanted him to keep the eye the Uchiha would have had his head on a pike for desecrating their Clan's bloodline.

He started walking again.

"No one knows what our eyes do when there's two of 'em." Rena continued on into the silence. "Tsunade-baa-chan always asks me if my eyes hurt or if I've noticed anything. Tou-san and Kaa-san are always watching me when they're home. Kiro-sama always wants to know if I've unlocked it yet. So I gotta figure it out on my own don't I?"

"Hai, it seems that way. Have you figured it out?"

"No. But I know you can Kakashi-Otooji."

* * *

Mino tamped down on the insistent twitching he wanted to be doing as Iruka read off the names of the new teams. Iroh sadly had been placed already and he frowned over at the twins after the announcement. They were more than halfway through the graduating class of Genin and neither Miska nor his name had come up.

Mino **hated** waiting.

And besides, the only person he wanted to be paired up with besides Miska had already been placed. Iroh wasn't the strongest of their class by any means but Mino knew Iroh and how he worked. Knowing how your packmates were going to react was a very good indicator of success. You could plan for contingences if you knew who you were dealing with.

Mino also hated sitting still….especially for this long.

The last name was read and some of the Jonin instructors assigned came in to snag their new teams and begin the torture. Miska looked up from her spot in the second row, her long pigtails wrapping around her shoulders in an odd fashion as her mismatched eyes questioned Mino in his spot way up in the nosebleeds.

Mino merely shrugged at her and began glaring at Iruka. They had not been called. Sure he had realized yesterday that the graduating class was at an odd number for the three-man-team setup. Someone was going to be left out but Mino would never have guessed he and his sister would be those two. They scored first and second of the class, as was only fitting. They'd always been rather quick to pick up their lessons and did far more outside of class than most their age.

Slowly the rest of the teams trickled out of the room, Iroh giving a half sort of shrug of apology as he went off with his team. Iroh had been stuck with two rather unknowns of the class and his Jonin was a guy Mino had seen around the village, he'd just not taken much notice of him.

That left him and his sister in the once full room with Iruka.

"So I am sure you two have questions." Iruka sighed and leaned up against his desk.

"Yeah. What the hell Iruka?" Mino growled as Miska nodded her consent as well.

"Well both of you are well ahead of any Genin."

"So what we're bumped up automatically?" Mino crossed his arms and leaned his feet up against the desk in front of him; pushing back to lean on two legs of his chair.

"Not exactly no. Only those who pass the Chuunin Exams get promoted." Iruka scratched at his ponytail. "We had an odd number this year."

"Right, but we're also the highest two in the class." Miska growled a little now, fingering the black tips of her pigtails. "That doesn't make any sense."

"We had to get a little creative with placing you. As it turns out a team from a couple years ago has an opening."

Mino and Miska sat up, they both had heard the sad note the Chuunin's voice took in his explanation. That meant someone had died or was injured to the point of no longer being able to continue on as a Ninja.

"I'm sure you both remember Asu."

Mino let the chair legs come crashing down and he bounced up onto the desk, smirking madly as he nodded. "Oh yeah, good ole' Asu, such a lazy ass."

"Mino! Tou-san said to watch the language."

Mino merely stuck his tongue out at Miska and focused entirely on Iruka. Asu was lazy but he wasn't stupid so he couldn't possibly be the one out of commission. He was just on the team Iruka was talking about.

"His team lost a member recently and they cannot enter the exams without three members." Iruka looked up at Mino. "Their sensei has expressed interest in taking someone from this graduating class."

"But there are two of us." Miska frowned.

"Yes that is true. Like I said we had to get creative. In a sense you both will be filling in the spot on Team Asuma. But one of you will have to bow out of the Chuunin Exams this year. Both of you will have to take turns with the team depending on circumstances…"

"That's not really fa…."

Iruka held up his hand and shook his head sharply at Mino. "Let me finish Mino. You're right that would not be fair to either of you. As such the Hokage decided perhaps both of you would do better as apprentices."

"Apprentices? You mean some Jonin would teach us one on one instead?"

"Hai that's what it means." Iruka smiled a bit in relief. "Both of you have been picked up already and all the sharing means is that when one of you is on a mission with the team you are assigned the other is out with whoever they are apprenticed with."

"Oh." Mino said simultaneously with Miska. That explained the presence he could sense just on the outer rims of the school. He was on his way and taking his time. He was pretty sure who probably picked up Miska as well.

He and his sister were opposite in nature. They both shared the wild ideas and pranking nature that they inherited from their father but in terms of ability and preference of style they stood vastly apart. He was a taijutsu/ninjutsu freak. He spent most of his time going through drills, sparring with Asu and Iroh and researching different jutsu and practicing with what he knew.

Miska was sneakier. She still favored her trap wires she was given at the Tree by their mother. She could string a person up in five seconds or less. She was elaborate in her plans and pranks where as Mino was just fast. But after they joined the academy Miska discovered her other strong suit. She was a Genjutsu specialist. She was great at concocting illusions and nightmares to trap her opponents in and had earned the praise of several of Konoha's other genjutsu masters.

"I'm out." Miska declared after the long pause. "I don't want to rush things that much anyway."

"Awesome!" Mino jumped up, glad that his sister was willing to sit out. "I get to kick ass with Asu again."

Both Iruka and Miska sighed at him but were interrupted when the door opened quietly and a familiar looking woman entered. She wore primarily white and red clothing and her long black hair held a wave to it. Almost instantly Miska had perked up and Mino smiled; he had guessed right for Miska.

"Kurenai-sensei!" Miska stood and smiled widely at the older woman who nodded to Iruka and then smiled crookedly at Miska.

"Hello Miska-chan."

"Well I know she's not here for me." Mino snorted. Miska looked up at him then smiled even wider at the genjutsu master.

"We'd both cringe at the thought Mino." Kurenai jabbed back. "But I can't pass up the chance to teach Miska. You do have a very good knack for Genjutsu if that is what you want your specialization to be Miska."

"Of course!" Miska nodded enthusiastically.

"Well then since you have decided to remit yourself from a chance at Chuunin this year, we should go and try to figure out how to proceed."

Miska grabbed her bag and quickly placed herself at Kurenai's right shoulder, slightly behind her. "See ya Mino!"

"Have fun learning how to freak me out even more." Mino stuck out his tongue and then returned his attention to the front and center. "So when's the toad coming out?"

Iruka blinked then turned his attention to the window. A familiar deep rumbling laugh broke the air and Mino grinned just as much as Miska had when she realized who her Jonin instructor was.

"I knew sooner or later you'd realize who it'd be, you brat."

"Well who else would be crazy enough, Ero-sannin." Mino smirked back ad Jiraiya came in and crossed his arms in front of his chest. The near 70-year-old man had not lost any of the imposing frame he had in Mino's younger years and Mino knew not to take the older man less seriously because he was old. Mino knew better than anyone age trumped beauty.

"You and I are going to start now, runt. Your sensei is focusing on the other two and I'm to shape you up as fast as I can. You may not make Chuunin this time around but we'll put on a hell of a show."

Mino knew he had to look absolutely devilish. Jiraiya had done the inevitable. Never dare a Namikaze that they couldn't do something. It was just stupid to do so. It only made Mino's drive stronger.

"You better not go easy on me Ero-sannin."

"The more you call me that the more painful I'm about to make it." Jiraiya growled back which made Mino smile more. "Just as bad as your father."

"Pft. I'm worse than him." Mino bragged as he jumped out the window and stuck to the roof outside. "Come on old man lets go. We've got a month to 'put on a show'."

"You'd think after the last two I'd be crazy to take up a third." Jiraiya sighed to Iruka who only laughed a little. He began to follow Mino out of the Academy chuckling to himself. "But then again he's just like him. Who could pass that up?"

* * *

Naruto weaved his way through the halls of the Hokage Tower like a seasoned veteran. He'd spent enough time as a small child running through the halls and even more time now learning all the ins and outs of the tower that was soon to be his. He entered the office of the Hokage without batting an eye at the ANBU positioned nearby and growled a bit at Tsunade as he entered.

"Good morning Baa-chan! Lovely morning isn't it?"

Tsunade merely sighed and rolled her eyes at him. "I take it that means Ryoki got back early. Well you should have known it was coming you Baka."

"Yes but to invite my wife back when I've not seen her for seven months then expect me to come in here and take care of the paperwork for my own inauguration, that's just mean Baa-chan." Naruto waved to the ever-present Shizune in the corner of the room before he sat down across from the older woman.

Tsunade merely had a knowing smirk on her face, her chin rested in her hand. "Oh I'm sorry, I thought it would be nice to have the whole of your family present."

"You and I both know Ryo. She doesn't give a shit about the proceeding so much as she cares about the title." Naruto growled playfully. Honestly he was glad she had called Ryo back but at the same time to have the women go behind his back was a bit unnerving. "Still any excuse for her to come home about now probably was what she was looking for."

"And yet she is so good at the game of politics." Tsunade sighed heavily. "At any rate I did not tell you to be here, you just assumed; which is good in some sense you are expected to be here every day so you are trained to that extent."

"And others." Naruto pointed out.

"Also true. So if you want to go find your wife, maybe you should." Tsunade winked at him. "You will be hard pressed to find time after you really are the Hokage."

Naruto grinned and stood. "Well since you put it that way…"

Before he could get too far, however, he was interrupted by a light knock.

"Maybe you should wait a minute."

Naruto turned to look over his shoulder to find Kakashi and Rena in the doorway, Rena perched happily atop the man's shoulders. It honestly was the oddest sight Naruto had seen that week. Like Kakashi, Naruto was confused by the girl's sudden interest in the man. Kakashi had made himself a ghost most years and the first two they had lived there Rena was scared of his other eye. Now she was bugging him whenever she had the chance.

"Rena, what are you doing? Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"I finished what they were teaching today." Rena blushed madly and ducked her head behind Kakashi's spiky silver hair. "I kinda did a Miska trick"

"Substitution."

"Hai."

Naruto groaned but understood. Rena's class was on something she probably picked up unwittingly from her older siblings. Sometimes the instructors let her out to do her own thing and other times they just let her help with her classmates. Today apparently had been the let-her-out day.

"So what are you troubling Kakashi for?"

"She's not a bother really." Kakashi reached up and placed the girl carefully on the floor ahead of him, resting a gloved hand in her hair. "But today she did present a challenge."

Naruto looked down to Rena who seemed awfully bashful all the sudden. "Rena-chan what did you…"

"I think she's finally uncovered what those eyes of hers do." Kakashi interrupted and was now face to face with Naruto who was sure he looked absolutely bewildered. "She did not want to worry anyone."

"Is that so?" Tsunade leaned forward to look at Rena over the desk. "And what do her eyes do Kakashi?"

"Well I think she's been doing it unconsciously for a while now. She hasn't been able to notice it though because she's not done anything where it creates a problem. However,"

"However, she tried something recently and it had an unexpected result." Tsunade laughed. "So what did she do?"

"I was trying to walk on water like Sonkei and Aneue." Rena whispered. "But I stuck to the water."

"More like she freezes to the water." Kakashi added in with a bemused light in his eye.

"Freezes?" Naruto asked blinking a bit. That didn't make much sense.

"You remember Haku don't you?" Kakashi fired back. Naruto's eyes went a little wide but he nodded, of course he remembered that whole mess in Wave. He turned his eyes again on Rena who was watching him very carefully in return.

"You said that what Haku did was a bloodline specific to his family."

"Hai I did. Show them what else you can do Rena."

"How? I didn't bring…"

Kakashi leaned down and pointed at the Hokage's desk. Rena merely blinked at it before something seemed to spark and she stepped forward to place her hand on the smooth surface. For a second she just seemed to stare at the surface beneath her hand. Naruto balanced on the balls of his feet to be at Rena's level to watch the same area.

Tsunade had lowered her head to directly see into the girl's eyes to see if any deformities occurred while whatever it was Rena was doing. Naruto was merely trying to keep his face calm and to fight off the feeling of a headache.

Finally Rena brought up her hand and like before she had formed a small sapling from the surface of the desk. She stepped back and waited for everyone's reaction. Tsunade had straightened up almost immediately, a look of pure shock on her face.

"Rena, that's a pretty neat trick." Naruto began to laugh seeing how uncomfortable Tsunade had become. "What made you think to do that?"

"We…we were learning about the First Hokage." Rena admitted timidly. "Shioni dared me to try it after I froze the water."

"Then Shioni's pretty smart too." Kakashi laughed behind her.

"Kami," Tsunade finally breathed. "That just isn't possible."

"I think that's what her eyes do. One eye you can switch, two eyes you can…"

"Use them simultaneously. And you aren't even thinking about it are you?" Tsunade calmed her features and smiled at Rena.

"I don't think I am."

"What is it you think she's doing exactly?"

"She's mixing elements, Naruto." Shizune spoke up from the corner. "What she just did was the first Hokage's bloodline trait, what is called Wood Element."

"So….this is good…bad?" Naruto threw out there.

"Well it's a good thing I suppose." Tsunade smiled. "We finally have a start."

"Why on earth did you go to Kakashi Rena-chan?" Naruto leaned down and ruffled her hair a little.

"Because he has the copy wheel but isn't an Uchiha."

"Ah…You know your mother's home."

Rena near about flew out the door and was off on her way to find her mother. Naruto barely had the time to yell after her about where Ryo had gone before he returned to sitting in the chairs in front of Tsunade.

"Eh no point now, she and Ryo will be too busy with Hinata and Raz."

"Shouldn't you tell Ryo about…"

"Ryo will figure it out or Rena will show her. When Ryo's around she just babbles because she doesn't know when Ryo will be back." Naruto shrugged. "So what do we do with that?"

"So far she's up to three elements she's experimented with. The three she knows." Kakashi pointed out. "Wind, Earth, and Water. Sooner or later she's going to stumble onto the others and either hurt herself or someone else."

"So what should we do with it?" Naruto repeated, glancing back up at Kakashi.

"Teach her manipulation."

"Ugh." Naruto groaned. He remembered learning that from Ryoki. It took him years to get it down right with the Rasengan and he had been in his twenties by then. "She's a bit young?"

"A bit yes. But she has to have something to fall back on." Tsunade sighed. "What do you suggest?" She turned her attention to Kakashi overtop of Naruto's head.

"Tenzou."

* * *

The day seemed to disappear in a blur. Naruto finally took Tsunade's earlier invitation and snuck out into the streets of Konoha. He already knew Rena and Ryoki would be quite engrossed with one another so he decided on seeking out the others of his family.

He waltzed through the gates of the village and out into the forests. Shortly after doing so a bright golden fox came bounding up beside him, his three golden tails wagging happily behind him.

"_**Naruto-sama." **_

"Heya Kota-san. Anything fun going on out here?"

Kota sat and cocked his head a few times to the side. "_**I can't say there is. Not much traffic through this time of year." **_

"True. Where's your brother?"

"_**Hunting." **_Kota snorted with a loud huff. _**"With Kiro." **_

"Oh Kiro came back as well. That is an honor."

"_**Kiro's limping." **_

Naruto perked up. That wasn't in Ryo's little report that morning. "Did he say what got him?"

"_**Rooster." **_

"And Ryo said they were scared of the wolves."

"_**Roosters? No, Roosters are nasty. They snap and peck if you get too close." **_Kota informed him as they continued on their walk. "_**The saying Fox in the Henhouse is correct. Usually only foxes can trick their way into the roosters." **_

"She should have said something." Naruto frowned a bit and stuck his hands into the flak jacket he now wore. Ryo really should have said something. It wasn't like the Fox Clan did not know Ryo by now and he was sure Kota or any of the other Fox Heads would have gladly gone with her to the Land of Lightning.

"_**Naruto-sama?" **_Kota looked up with those expressive brown eyes and returned to sitting in the soft green grasses of the forest floor.

Naruto just landed next to him and slung his arm around the large fox. "Eh Kota-san, things don't ever stand still do they?"

"_**No, not ever." **_Kota nuzzled up to the older man and chirped lightly. "_**Even though we want it to stand still."**_

"Ryo's gone longer now; the kits certainly don't need me." Naruto sighed.

"_**Kits always need their parents." **_Kota barked. "_**They are just very good at hiding it. Kits are hunters now?" **_

"Yeah. And I'll be the Hokage soon. I don't know if I can deal with sending them out."

"_**You know what they are capable of." **_Was all Kota replied and snuggled closer to Naruto.

They were silent in the quiet breeze of Konoha. Naruto had slowly allowed the foxes to inch closer to Konoha just to see if anyone noticed. No one did so the foxes began setting up dens around the area. It was a comfort to have demons nearby. Not one person in the village could ever say they ever thought they would say such a thing but many of the Rookie 9 had begun to express that very same sentiment.

Shikamaru of all of them lazed about with Mota, the blood red female fox of the Clan. He'd caught the Jonin out several times. He kinda wished the man was out there now.

"See I just knew there was something else bothering you."

Naruto frowned behind him. Ryo stood just a few feet away; she had lost her own ninja gear and looked just like any other civilian out for a walk. Still Naruto knew better, she had come purposefully.

"You always were a worrier Kitsune." Ryo walked over slowly and stood beside him and Kota, still sitting on the ground.

"Yeah well at least I'm consistent."

"Can't be healthy though." Ryo snorted. "Rena showed me her trick."

"What do you think about it?"

"I suppose it makes sense." Ryo sat down and laid across Naruto's lap, forcing Kota to reposition himself behind her head. "Houkou's gift was to control and understand the five natures. That was why he was given the Butaigan. Still it is concerning."

"When did we sign up for this exactly?" Naruto snorted, running his fingers subconsciously through her dark hair. "Mino and Miska are too damn smart for their own good, Rena's got a bloodline that no one knows what it is capable of…"

"I think that is what it means to be parents don't you?" Ryo sighed. "It does remind me why I was so afraid in Grass though."

"Maybe you were the smart one."

"Maybe?"

"Okay you were…"

Ryo came up and tackled him into the grass. They wrestled and growled and laughed till finally Ryo had him pinned completely, her hands gripping his wrists and straddling him across his chest. They both smiled at each other and huffed at each other. Naruto feebly fought against her grip but in all honestly did not care.

"Tsunade said we had a few days to ourselves. I think we should take advantage."

"Totally." Naruto agreed and smirked as she leaned in closer to his face. He made a light snapping motion with his mouth towards her nose and she snarled back but grinned just as wickedly. "Did you tell Rena."

"Hai, and the twins are busy so we won't be missed."

"Perfect." Naruto then did force his way up sitting so they were face to face. "Come then Ookami, let's go have some fun."

* * *

Tenzou was a dedicated and loyal ANBU operative. He had been for much longer than the average recruit and he thoroughly enjoyed his position in the most elite of ninja for the village. There were days he questioned his orders, only slightly, but he continued on dutifully and carried out the Hokage's will. That was what it meant to be ANBU.

Today he was having very serious doubts.

He stood in training ground seven blinking down at a small girl who was barely five years of age who was blinking back at him. Behind the girl his 'sempai' Hatake Kakashi stood smirking behind that damnable mask of his.

"Sempai, I'm a little confused." Tenzou finally tore his gaze away from the girl and back up to the man he had studied under in ANBU for so long. "I was told I would be teaching someone elemental manipulation…"

"That's correct Yamato." Kakashi closed his book and returned it to his back pouch, referring to the man by his code name given to him by the Hokage. "Rena here had stumbled upon a unique bloodline trait hidden in her family. She needs to learn how to manipulate natures if she is to learn how to control her chakra."

Again the ANBU and the child ended up blinking at each other. This was crazy! He barely had any control at all over his chakra at that age and they wanted him to teach her a complex and hard theory such as Elemental Manipulation? Most did not even break that subject until they were Jonin or very talented Chuunin.

"Why not teach her yourself Sempai?"

The other man patted the girl's head and got that look on his face when he was truly smiling behind his mask. "Go ahead Rena-chan; show him your wood element."

The girl paled a bit but did as she was asked repeating a trick she must've shown a lot of people by now because she seemed almost bored with it. Tenzou balked as he saw just what Kakashi had explained…it was a repeat of what he himself could do: Wood Element, the mixture of Earth and Water natures simultaneously to form another element.

"She can also mix Water and Wind together." Kakashi explained further. "It is a reflex for her. Much like it was for you. You were chosen because you learned to use two at once before learning one."

That was an understatement. It had been reflex for him because he had been an experiment by a long dead Sannin. He had been given the genes of the late Hokage who had been able to do the same thing. He had no other choice but to learn that way. He was lucky to have survived at all, honestly.

"You said she can mix Water and Wind? Ice?"

"Hai. See her eyes?" Kakashi pointed out for him and he again studied the child in front of him. "I believe it is called the Butaigan by her mother. The Elemental Eye."

"So in theory she can mix any elements?"

"In theory yes."

Tenzou sighed heavily and nodded in agreement. "And in theory if she learns Wood sufficiently she should be able to figure out the other possibilities."

"Not only that but you could better explain to her how to distinguish between the two." Kakashi brought his book back out and positioned himself against one of the posts in the training grounds. Well that was at least something; Kakashi-sempai was staying to watch the proceedings. Still Tenzou felt a little flustered at the thought of training a child so young, something so chakra intensive.

"So you are Rena-chan then?" he addressed the girl who nodded in return. "My name is Yamato…I suppose I will be teaching you to further refine Wood Element."

"You can do it too?"

"Hai, I can. It is a unique trait to my genes." It wasn't an outright lie but it wasn't the truth either. But memories of the past definatly were starting to run rampant through his mind and he smirked as he remembered his own lessons from the Sandaime. He pulled out a piece of cream colored paper. "Your first lesson is to force your chakra to make the paper turn to dust."

Rena reached out and took the slip of paper from him and studied it like a seasoned tag maker, running her fingers along the grain, and inspecting any impurities in the weave of the paper. Yamato looked back up to Kakashi astonished that the girl would first take to inspecting the paper instead of just jumping in to try to do what he asked.

Kakashi-sempai, however, was too busy reading to notice.

"_Figures" _Tenzou sighed and watched with interest as the girl finally set out to do what he asked. Much like when he had first been presented with the special chakra papers, it turned to Wood. The girl yelped as part of her fingers too tried to make the change and released the paper immediately.

Tenzou merely flipped out another square piece and held it out to her. For a second he wondered if she would reach out again to take it, she seemed a bit timid and unsure. That lasted for maybe a minute and then something changed in the dark blue, pupil-less eyes. She reached out and snagged the paper, and this time she did not rush. This time she stared at the paper. Every so often he'd see the edges start to harden but they would quickly retreat back.

She was learning how to suppress the urge to use them both at the same time. The realization of just using one might take her a while but she had passed the first hurdle. She realized what she was doing _wrong_.

Tenzou put the small pouch he had filled with the paper beforehand in front of her and then walked over to the posts prominent in this training ground. He leaned against one of them and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Just who is this girl Sempai?"

"The granddaughter of the Yondaime Hokage."

Tenzou caught his breath and looked down at the gray-haired Jonin, still engrossed in his book. "But…"

"You remember Naruto, Iie?"

"Hai but the Yondaime had no such kekkei genkai. "

"No but her mother's family did. It's never been seen at this level though." Kakashi continued and turned a page. "She's a smart kid Tenzou. She already knows how to walk on trees, and she understands the principle of walking on water. That's when she realized she had a problem."

"She accidently froze the water trying to learn."

"Hai, very good. So you see now why we need to teach her this."

"Isn't the Hokage or her parents worried about her exhausting herself? This kind of manipulation…"

"If she did not learn now she would subconsciously just keep doing it. Which in of itself is dangerous as well. Imagine Fire mixing with Wind. Lightning and Fire…"

"Her possibilities are nearly endless if that is what her genkai does." Tenzou frowned. A child with that kind of potential could do a lot of damage….or stumble upon a potentially deadly mix of elements.

"If she happens to exhaust herself just whistle." Kakashi muttered. "I'm sure either her dog or her fox are nearby. Actually..."

The Jonin whistled and Tenzou again found himself in shock at the sight before him. A small beige colored fox with four tails came bounding up to them and perched himself atop the third post. The fox cocked his head at Rena then down at Kakashi.

"_**Yes?"**_

"Kouka right?" Kakashi looked up at the fox who gave a little lupine smirk in agreement. "Where's Riri?"

"_**Nearby." **_Kouka growled a little. "_**What are you teaching her scarecrow?" **_

"Gomen, Gomen. We should have told you. You've realized what her eyes can do haven't you?"

"_**Much like the Five-Tailed she can control elements." **_Kouka huffed while his ears swiveled around his head like little dishes picking up any noise around them. "_**Ryo-sama was of Houkou's line." **_

"Well we are teaching her to control it. She might wear herself thin with this though. Do you know her limits pretty well?"

"_**Hai." **_Kouka looked over at Tenzou, still gaping at the small fox. "_**If you do not like my presence here I shall leave and send Riri, but Riri cannot talk."**_

Kakashi elbowed Tenzou in the leg and finally he broke free of his paralysis. "My apologizes, Kouka-sama. I was not prepared to meet a demon fox."

Kouka huffed and curled himself atop the stump he was on, his thick fluffy tail hiding his nose and making his ears look even bigger. "_**You should get use to us, we are all around now." **_

"You don't have anything to worry about Yamato. Kouka and Kota are pretty timid in comparison to other demons I think. Anyway Kouka is Rena's familiar. He would not do anything to harm or scare her."

"_**Hai, Rena-chan is mine. So Yamato-kun, you are teaching her to control this, not the scarecrow?" **_

Tenzou muffled a laugh at the nickname the fox had for Kakashi-sempai. True it was what his name stood for but he wasn't sure the man liked being called such. "She uses Earth and Water simultaneously and so do I. They thought it would be better for me to teach her."

Kakashi was laughing quietly to himself, however, about what Kouka had called him. Tenzou was willing to overlook it, as he saw it the demon could call him whatever he liked.

"_**I think the scarecrow is just being lazy." **_

"Perhaps." Kakashi mumbled. "But she seems to be teaching herself anyway, we are merely here to make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

There was a long pause of silence between the three, only two of which were watching Rena the other reading happily from a perverted book. As Tenzou predicted it would take the girl a while to figure out the puzzle of separating what she naturally wanted to do as one.

The little fox must have become bored by it all because he darted off into the foliage around them. Kakashi did not even make a twitch at its leaving but Tenzou couldn't help but watch it go. Sure he had seen the golden fox that seemed to have taken up residence in the Hokage Tower. He'd even had a few dealings with Naruto but had not really seen or met any of his family.

The fox in the tower took to hiding his other tails because he only ever saw the fox with one tail, or he had been so focused on his orders that he didn't think to count them. But he had started to hear the rumors of the others living in the forests.

Sure the thought scared him a little. He'd been there when the nine-tailed fox had attacked Konoha, he had seen its power. Just because they were lesser demons did not mean they could not rend the same destruction if they wanted too. And yet the little fox had been aware of his discomfort and pointed it out. The Golden Fox always seemed upbeat and trotted along the hallways like some kind of dog following after its master.

"Sempai… the demons around Konoha…."

"They don't show themselves unless absolutely necessary."

"But they are there."

"Do you remember the old wives tale Tenzou? The rumor that the Uchiha could control even demons with their Sharingan?"

"Almost everyone heard that tale, hai. But that doesn't…"

"Naruto usurped the Nine-Tails chakra, as well as its memory. From what he has said the Nine-Tailed attacked under duress. That something forced it to attack. From what we have learned from the attempt by Pain that person was Uchiha Madara."

"Which should be impossible."

"Your predecessor was said to have the same will. The will to control and calm demons."

"Yes, as a force of nature, not as sentient beings that have their own society." Tenzou snorted back. "This is unprecedented."

"But it's not that absurd to consider it a possibility." Kakashi turned a page of his book and peered over it to Rena. "Just because we have our own perception of what a demon is and can be doesn't mean it is truth. If something comes at you your first reaction is to attack is it not?"

"In most cases yes."

"Then perhaps we should consider it was us that attacked them."

There was another pause in the conversation as the two men watched carefully for any signs of a breakthrough or fatigue in Rena. Tenzou frowned

"I would make a suggestion though, _Yamato_. I wouldn't try using that 'will' on any of the demons that may come around to check on her. It might make them angry."

Tenzou frowned and sweated a little. _"How did I get roped up into all of this?" _

_

* * *

_

Naruto drug his feet as he made his way back home a few nights later. A few days of just …as best he could describe it…play in the forest with Ryo had done wonders. He felt a little lighter now and more confident about what he was about to take on. Still it was like jumping into a frozen lake to return to the normalcy he had adopted in favor over the life in the wilds he had grown to love.

No wonder Ryo was so conflicted, she had known that life for so much longer than he had and he was having trouble letting go.

It was nice to be back home with friends and familiar people… to know that if they weren't nearby the kits would have some protection.

He slowly opened the door to the home and slipped inside, kicking his boots off to a corner as he entered. It was the dead of night and Ryo had let him finally depart, saying someone should check if the house was still standing and he had gone and she had stayed. Much like they could not domesticate Raj, Ryo would probably be the same way.

As he crept through the moonlight lit room he came to a stop when he heard the movement from the couch. Maybe Ryo had changed her mind. Instead he found Mino, quite literally crumpled upon the soft blue fabric looking mostly dead to the world. Naruto reassured himself and looked out to the tree in the gardens attached to their home and found it very lonesome out there without someone perched in its boughs sleeping. Naruto looked back down at his son and smirked a little.

"_Ero-sannin must've really put him to work." _He thought to himself as he watched Mino sleeping.

Or what appeared to be sleeping.

"Everything _hurts_ Tou-san." Mino groaned up at him a sliver of blue eye peering up at him in the dull light.

Naruto crouched down ruffled the boy's hair carefully. "I bet it does. How long were you and the old man at it?"

"Almost five hours."

"Gees…I'm surprised you kept up that long." Naruto laughed a little. He quietly stroked the boy's hair, forgetting the last time he really had. Mino was really indignant about the touchy-feely crap and all Naruto really got to do anymore was rough house and goad his son. Mino did not seem to mind so much now as he just laid there trying to find at least one comfortable position for his legs and arms, seemingly forgetting how to sleep lying down. "You know Mino; you don't have to push so hard. It's okay to stop every now and then; let it sink in a bit."

"Nah, I gotta keep movin'." Mino mumbled and buried his face in the lone pillow left on the couch.

"You only think you do. I promise you, you don't have to." Naruto tried to reassure the kid. Part of him didn't want the twins rushing so fast. He did not worry so much with Miska, it was Mino. Mino would push himself too hard one of these days and something was going to happen. Naruto wasn't sure he would be able to fix it by the time he finally did.

"I have to…." Mino yawned and flinched a bit as he stretched. Finally he found the right position and he was finally falling asleep because his eyes went shut almost instantly afterwards and his speech sounded more garbled and mumbled together. "I don't wanna let anything happen to Miska."

The boy's breathing evened out and deepened. Naruto stopped petting his hair but sat there next to the couch watching. Perhaps he was reading too much into the mumbled admittance but it definatly struck a chord. He glanced down the small hallway to where the girl's rooms were. If Miska had heard Mino she would have quickly defend herself, that's how they were.

_That's how Ryo and Raj were….._

Naruto sighed and decided to stay leaning up against the couch. He settled in and let his mind run wild as he stared off into nothing. It had been nice to not think so much out with Ryo but the reality was he had to. Just like Mino thought he **had** to keep moving and learning.

"_I guess I should have known. Sonkei's death was a bit hard on him. And it's not hard to see his line of thinking. Ryo was the stronger of the twins, she always was. Mino knows he's stronger than Miska. He can see the parallel. He doesn't want it to happen again." _

Naruto looked back at Mino again and all he could think was "too fast".

Still he knew how it felt. Even though Ryo was a nice distraction for a few days, the nagging feeling was still bothering him. And Mino's own revelation sparked one of his own.

That's why it was so nerve wracking to know soon he would be Hokage of the village. He knew that word would spread quickly among the other countries. And for the past three years the same thought would plague him constantly. Just as Ryo said many times, he was a worrier.

"_Where is he? Why hasn't he made his move?" _

And of course he knew the answer. He was waiting. He knew Naruto had to come here to Konoha. He knew that Naruto would stay here. Naruto turned back to looking out the kitchen window into the quiet night. He could easily hear the echoes of a long forgotten conversation.

"_To surpass Hokage…."_

"_To kill a certain man…" _

Naruto knew with an absolute clarity just where Sasuke was. He would let Naruto return to the place they once called home; to the Leaf and let him become Hokage. Then and only then would he try to destroy Konoha and everyone he believed had wronged him. He would try so hard to destroy what he still believed was Naruto's dream because his dream had been denied him.

"_Don't let it happen again."_

_

* * *

_

**Words and Meanings**

**Kitsune - **fox  
**Ookami - **wolf  
**Kami - **god  
**Ren'ai - **love, affections  
**Tou-san - **slang version of Father  
**Kaa-san - **slang version of Mother  
**Obasan – **aunt  
**Otooji - **uncle  
**Kiro - **crossroads, one's way  
**Butaigan – **elemental eye  
**Nani – **what  
**Hai – **yes  
**Iie - **no  
**Kouka – **yellow peril  
**Akatsuki – **red dawn


	11. Delay

Sorry for the Delay Folks. My motherboard decided to have a catastrophic meltdown on Monday and as a result I needed to build a new computer. I did not lose any data as I have an enclosure to help friends with failing computers and transferred everything to my aunt's laptop but moving everything back to my new machine is taking some time…especially since I like to have things organized in a specific way. That and reinstalling all my programs i.e. Adobe Creative Suite and Office and my games has been time consuming and I do have a job to go to. But I'm almost done with the recovery.

I know I've been slow this chapter…stupid plot bunnies want me to write the next chapter first instead of this one: P but I'm working at it I swear! And for the troubles…a little preview of Chapter 10:

_Okay so maybe the view from up here is a lot better now. _Naruto smirked to himself as he stood in front of the windows of 'his' office and watched the daily bustle below him. Maybe Ryo was not the only one who liked the view from the top. He was really starting to get a feel for his job and he thought it was frustrating most of the time he was really enjoying it.

A lot. Which kind of surprised him a little. He'd been nervous as hell during the whole 'induction' and 'ceremonies'. He'd been nervous the moment Ryo came back in the village and he knew what was going to happen. Still that hat was damn impressive and though he normally did not don the usual robes that Sarutobi used to wear, he was always wearing the hat.

It just suited him.

"Naruto-sama."

Naruto craned his head over his shoulders behind him to the door. Sakura was standing there with a good armful of paperwork she was hauling to his desk. The strangest thing yet was Sakura calling him by that particular suffix. He smirked remembering their days at Genin when she would haul off and whack him in the head, call him a baka, or just plain berate him for his stupidity.

He grinned wickedly. As Hokage he was meant to be a calm, steady presence in the village. But that did not really suit him all of the time so he'd begun making up games. Actually both he and Ryo did and one that he was starting to come up with was 'make Sakura blow up at me'. Sakura had inherited Shizune's place as his assistant and he really did welcome her knowledge. She knew things that had happened in the village in his absence and she had a good handle on all the personnel while he was still learning them all.

But all this formality just did not suit him, especially between friends so he had begun pushing buttons just to see how long it would take him to break down this new sense of duty in Sakura and get her to call him just one insulting name.

"Honestly Sakura-chan, you have to start so early?"

Naruto saw just the slightest twitch of her eyebrow and smirked. He'd been getting closer in the past couple of weeks. "You should know by now _Naruto-sama_ this happens the same time almost every day."

"Could switch it up a bit, might make it more exciting!" Naruto smirked happily as he took a seat and began leafing through what she had brought. A lot of personnel reports, missions requests and mission reports. Boring stuff just needing his signature to saying he saw it.

"You wanted the job you…." And she caught herself frowning at Naruto as she ended the sentence prematurely.

_Damn almost had her. _


End file.
